KINGDOM HEARTS: FATE-BOUNDED SOULS
by XGamer7
Summary: Kairi is sent by Master Yen Sid to investigate a strange disturbance. As Kairi discovers the nature of Magical Girls, can she save them from their cursed fate? This story takes place after Dream Drop Distance.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone. Since its almost Christmas, I decide to give you all an early Christmas gift with the intro of this story.**

**This story takes place after Dream Drop Distance and follows the main timeline of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.**

**Kingdom Hearts themes are noted with the following notation: *Song Title***

**All characters, places, and themes belong to their original, rightful owners.**

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**CHAPTER 1: JUST A DREAM**

_Please…_ a girl's voice calls out.

_Help us…_

*DIVE INTO THE HEART*

The sound of water breaking echoes through the darkness, as a figure breaches the pitch black sky like water. The figure appears asleep, drifting away into the unseen darkness below. The figure is a girl with long, flowing, auburn hair. She wears a pink mini-dress with a black hood over a white halter top. The girl's body gently sways deeper into the abyss. The girl opens her blue eyes, staring into the endless sea of nothingness. After a few seconds she sees a round, golden stained glass floor. As she draws closer she begins to see some details. She sees a picture of a young girl, perhaps a year or two younger than her, sleeping. The girl wears a white and black outfit, has yellow hair that's braided into two ponytails, shaped liked drills. Behind the girl in the stained glass, is a ground filled with muskets, tied together with ribbons, stuck into the ground. The circles surrounding the outer edge have a flower design in them.

The falling girl's body aligns itself vertically before gently landing in the middle. The girl looks around, confused and yet mystified.

_Power sleeps within you._ A different voice calls out as a sword with a mouse emblem appears in a flash of light in front of her, floating above the floor.

_If you give it form…_ A green staff, with a blue head similar to the emblem on the sword, appears to her left.

_It will give you strength._ A red and black shield, blazoned with the same emblem appears to her right.

_Choose well._ The girl looks at each of the three weapons around her. The girl shifts her body to the left, facing the staff. The girl raises her right hand towards the staff. In response, the staff goes into her extended hand quickly.

_The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin._ _Is this the power you seek?_

The girl nods her head.

_Your path is set._

The staff glows with blind light, temporarily blinding the girl, the shield and sword are no longer present. When the girl opens her eyes, she is no longer holding the staff. Instead, she now wields a gigantic key, wrapped in vines, and flowers as the teeth. In her mind, she knows what it is, a Keyblade.

A rumbling sound shakes the ground around her. She looks around, searching for the cause. The glass floor begins to shatter at the edge. In mere moments, the ground below her shatters and once again, falls into the void.

After a few seconds of falling deeper into the darkness, another stained glass floor appears. Boasting a bountiful shade of red, the girl notices the picture on it. A profile of another sleeping girl, hugging the outer edge on the left side, adorned in red garbs, and a red jewel on her chest. She holds onto a spear pointing to the other side. Instead of circles surrounding the outer edge, they are ovals, designed like gems.

As soon as the falling girl lands, she takes a few steps forward looking around. She notices a presence; a dark presence. She looks down, instead of the look of shock and surprise, is a face of readiness and composure. Dark shadows appear from the ground; they go as high as her knees, two antennae, and round, yellow eyes. She is well aware of these creatures. Heartless.

One Heartless jumps towards her, the girl jumps back to dodge. She immediately retaliates, destroying her attacker in three strikes. She charges into another Heartless, destroying it in three strikes as well. While she is attacking, another Heartless melds into the ground, and sneaks its way behind her. The Heartless lunges at her, but the girl blocks with the Keyblade. The Heartless recoils; leaving it defenseless against the girl. The girl takes her chance and defeats the last of them.

A pillar of light erupts from the far side of the area; revealing a door of elegant design. The girl looks at the door for a few moments before walking towards it. Just as she stops a foot away from the door, the door slowly opens, revealing a brilliant light from the side. The girl winces from the light momentarily before staring at it. She walks towards the light.

She walks to the center of a new station. From above, the station has a blue color scheme. This one too bears a sleeping girl, on the right side of the glass floor. This girl has blue hair, wears a blue outfit with a white cape, a golden hairpiece next to her ear, and holding onto a cutlass. The station's circles on the outer edge are filled with musical notes.

When the girl stops at the center, she is surrounded by about twenty Heartless. The Heartless charge, the girl shifts her body, dodging and attacking the black monsters. A group of four jump up before diving towards her. She raises her Keyblade straight up. At that moment, several bolts strike the attacking Heartless as well as the Heartless close to her. She proceeds to aim her weapon at the monsters, shooting flaming balls at the Heartless, eliminating several of them. She turns around and fires a shard of ice, piercing through her enemies, destroying several more. The remaining Heartless stop their attack for a few seconds before melding into the ground; consuming the platform in darkness. The girl finds herself being swallowed by the darkness. Struggle as she can, she cannot escape and sinks into the abyss.

The girl now drifts unconsciously under the waves of darkness. By the time she opens her eyes, she can feel her legs landing on something. She looks around, trying to find where to go next. She takes one step, and from where she stands a bright light reveals the station she is on. It has a violet scheme. At the top of the floor's picture is a girl with long flowing, black hair. Her hands over her chest as if she is praying, but the hands cannot be seen by a miniature shield on her wrist. Below her is what looks like a shadow of the girl in the picture, except the hair style is in braids. The outside ring is layered with twelve circles, each one with a roman numeral, like the face of a clock.

After observing the surrounding area, the wandering girl moves forward. Just as she reaches the edge, multiple platforms, with different colors, appeared; forming a rainbow-colored stairway that twists and turns into the darkness. The girl follows the path in front of her. It doesn't take long for her to see a black tower, adorned with glass-stained windows of a pink-colored scheme. The road makes one large turn going up. After walking the final stretch, the girl now arrives at the top of the station. The station has a pink scheme. Surrounding the center are white silhouettes of a girl that are holding onto each other's hands. In the center is a girl with pink hair, braided by two pairs of red ribbons, in a white and pink dress, sleeping in a fetal position.

The girl walks to the center, looking up into the eternal void. The girl stiffens as she senses something. Darkness… a massive form of darkness. As this dreadful feeling courses through her being, an ominous shadow rises behind her. The girl turns around, her mouth open, as she assesses the being before her as she takes a few steps back.

*Tension Rising*

The being has an outline of massive arms, filled with clouds. This is nothing see has seen or heard of before. Perhaps a new type of Heartless she rationalizes. No, in her heart, she knows this thing is neither a Heartless, nor its counterpart; the Nobody. The girl runs away, but not far, as she stops at the edge. She turns around, taking in the giant before her. It appears to have a massive body, sketched out, filled with ominous clouds, but what truly brings fear to her is its head. One half is covered in shades in different directions, while the other shows a contorted sun disk, a planet for an eye, and a moon for a mouth. Seeing that running is all but a moot option, she brandishes her Keyblade and stands ready for the immediate battle.

The being stares down at the girl for a few seconds before outstretching its right arm. The being swipes at just above the surface with its massively clawed hand. The girl slides under the arm before jumping upright and fires an orb of pure light through the swing of her Keyblade. The orb arcs before smashing into the fiend's face with a burst of light; causing it to recoil and grabs its face with the left arm. After regaining its composure, the being raises its left arm before slamming its hand onto the ground. The girl backflips out of harm's way just in time. As soon as her feet touch the ground, she sprints towards the hand. After jumping onto the hand, she charges on top of its arm, before jumping onto its shoulder, right next to the head.

The girl swings her Keyblade with all her might. As she continues her attack, the monster hardly reacts to the blade; the girl hopes she is at least damaging her foe. She is so focused on attacking, that she doesn't realize what the giant is doing. In an instant, the monster grabs the girl with its right hand, completely trapping her. The being slams the girl with full force onto the platform with its palm. The monstrosity lifted its hand, revealing the girl lying on the ground. After a few moments, she struggles to get up. She looks up and sees that the enemy has a fist raised above it. The girl immediately rolls to the right. The beast pounds into the platform, the impact pushes the girl closer towards the edge. The girl can see that if she doesn't slow down she may fall off. She manages to use the momentum of her roll to get enough strength to dig the Keyblade into the platform, skidding to stop right at the edge.

The girl pants as she manages to regain her footing and slowly approaches the center of the platform, her eyes never leaving the monster in front of her. The monster roars, deciding to finish this once and for all. Raises both of its hands, before slamming them into the platform, causing it to sunder and fall apart. The girl falls into the void, among the debris. The girl, though her body is at its limit, she's not ready to give up. Luckily, she lands on one of the platform remnants. She musters all of her physical strength, to jump to another remnant. She runs along the platform, running towards the monster that tried to do her in. She jumps and runs on several more platforms before reaching back to the platforms original level. She places everything she has into one more jump, propelling her to jump towards the monster.

The monster swings its right hand at the girl. The girl swings the Keyblade, deflecting the arm away from her. The beast grabs her with the left hand. It raises the said hand above it. Luckily the girl's arms aren't trapped in the monster's grasp. She slams Keyblade into the hand. She feels the monster's grip loosens, and manages to push herself out of its grasp before diving towards the head. As soon she is close enough she flips forward once, grab the Keyblade with both hands and slashes the head in a somersault. Upon impact, a bright light envelops the two combatants. When the light fades, the girl lands back on the restored platform, before her opponent's upper body impacts the ground with a thud, leaving it motionless.

The girl does not hesitate. She unleashes a barrage of magical spells of fire, ice, and lightning. After a few seconds, the girl continues her assault with a shard of ice, follows up by summoning bolts of lightning onto the beast, and finishes up with three more shots of fire. The girl pants, she can feel that she used up all of her magic. Yet, the beast is still dazed. The girl grits her teeth before charging in. Just as he she gets close, she brandishes her Keyblade in a downward angle across her body. Once in range, she swings with all her might and slashes upwards through the monster's face. The monster jerks its head back, as sparks erupt from it.

The sparks end with an eruption of light dust, causing it to jerk its head back even more, giving out a gurgling cry. The girl jumps back, the Keyblade disappears. She looks at her empty hand before jumping back as the giant uses its hands to support itself. It stares at the girl before falling on top of her. Just before it can make the impact, it covers the entire station in a plume of darkness. The girl cannot feel or see anything. _Please…_ the first voice calls out. _Help us…_ The girl can tell that whoever is calling out is begging her. Immediately, the girl sees a small light glimmers in the darkness. The light continues to expand and grow, eventually consuming her line of vision.

The girl sits up quickly with a gasp. She is catching her breath as she tries to ascertain her surroundings. She is resting on a bed, with blue covers. The bed lays at an end of a round room, star-shaped windows on one side, and a large crescent moon shaped window next to her bed. There is a small dresser in the room, alongside a large full-body mirror with a golden frame. She is now wearing blue pajamas. The girl, known as Kairi, got her breathing under control. She looks down onto her bed, her hands crossed near her stomach. "Just a dream." She says quietly. "Or was it?" She says as she raises her head. She turns to the nearby moon-window, staring out at the countless stars in the sky.

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**Author's Note: That is the first chapter. I will try to update this within a few weeks. **

**Please tell me what you think of this.**

**Have a safe and Merry Christmas.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: This format signals a theme from Puella Magi: #SONG TITLE#**

** This format signals a theme from Kingdom Hearts: *SONG TITLE***

**Again, All characters and themes belong to their rightful owners.**

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Chapter 2: PLEASE, LET ME HELP YOU

*Magical Mystery*

Kairi is putting the finishing touches on her outfit. She now wears a pink, sleeveless mandarin gown, with a black collar, that ends just above her knees with a slight slit on the right side. She wears a large violet ribbon around her waist and is tied in a bow at the back, with two laces going down to the back of her knees. She wears black leggings that cover her entire legs and ends at violet jump boots with a lighter shade than the ribbon. She wears black, skin tight wristbands and a black choker collar around her neck. Just below the collar is the necklace she's been wearing since she was little, which she just finished putting on. She takes one last look in the golden-framed mirror, twisting her body, to see everything is in order. She nods her head in satisfaction. "Well, time for another day of training," she says casually with a smile before turning around towards the door.

Yen Sid is sitting comfortably in his main chambers at the top of his tower. His eyes closed as he contemplates on what to do next. The sound of a door opening catches his attention as he looks up, opening his eyes. He sees Kairi closing the door before she turns to him. "Good Morning, Master," she greets the knowledgeable sorcerer with a slight bow.

Yen Sid acknowledges her with a nod. With a wave of his hand, a puff of smoke appears in front of his desk revealing a white chair, with a tall back. "Please have a seat Kairi there is much for us to discuss." Kairi nods and proceeds to sit on the conjured chair. Yen Sid notices something about Kairi, "Is something the matter?" he asks. Kairi has a surprised look on her face for a second before looking down with closed eyes. After a few seconds, she looks up to the tower's master, "Actually, I just had a weird dream."

"A dream you say?" Yen Sin inquires. Kairi responds with a nod. "Please tell me about this dream you had."

"Okay." Kairi then begins to tell her master everything about the dream.

After Kairi is finished after a few minutes, Yen Sid hums as he strokes his beard. "Perhaps it is not a coincidence," he mutters to himself.

"Huh" Kairi looks at him in confusion.

"Tell me, do you recall Riku's mission?"

The girl nods, "Yes, you felt some kind of disturbance and asked Riku to look into it. That was a few days ago, right?"

"Correct. The disturbance came so suddenly from a peculiar world and I sent Riku to investigate the matter. It so happens that I received word from him." Kairi puts on a serious face, ready to listen to what the sorcerer has to say. "Riku reports that he has encountered strange apparitions that dwell within this world. Apparitions that are born out of darkness."

"They're not Heartless?" Kairi asks for clarification.

"No." Yen Sid answers, "These apparitions hide themselves in mysterious labyrinths that tries to repel anyone that comes in. However, Riku believes these apparitions are not the disturbance that I have sensed, for his investigations show that these beings have existed for some time. However he believes that they may have a connection with this strange disturbance. Currently, he is now traveling the far corners of that world, in hopes of finding a clue to this mystery."

Kairi nods her head in understanding. "Master Yen Sid, you mentioned earlier that my dream may not have been a coincidence. What did you mean, and why are you telling me all about this?"

The sorcerer nods, "As soon as Riku told me what he has found, I have been planning on sending you to this world as well."

"What?" Kairi is astonished from Yen Sid's decision.

"You have been training hard over the past month. Your abilities in wielding the Keyblade and your mastery of magic are quite commendable. Perhaps this will be the perfect chance to see how far you have progressed," the sorcerer pauses. "Kairi," the girl stood up straight in her seat, "I want you to investigate the disturbance in this world, and find a way to contain it. If left unchecked, it could very well spread to other worlds."

"I understand." She says before standing up. "If you think I'm ready, then who am I to argue with you," she says with a smile.

Yen Sid nods, before waving his hand, creating two puffs of smoke on his desk. After the smoke clears, there are two hand-sized items, a blue-crystal star and an azure sphere about the size of a palm. "These would prove useful to you." He picks up the star-shaped object and offers it to Kairi. Kairi nods and accepts it. "This is my Star Shard. It has the power to transport its holder to another world. All you need to do is think of a place or person you know and it will take you there. King Mickey once used it in a quest long ago. However, he did not have the knowledge to control it and the Star Shard keeps taking him from one world to another. You see, in truth the Star Shard actually resonates with the heart of its holder." Kairi diverts her attention away from Yen Sid and looks at the Star Shard in her hand, yet she is still listening. "If the holder's heart is guiding them to a new world, without any knowledge of the Star Shard or their next destination, the shard would react and takes them away to where they are needed most. You could say the Star Shard guides the holder to where they need to go. Perhaps if you focus on your dream the Star Shard will guide you to this world and to those that may have been trying to contact you."

Kairi nods her head as she lets it all sink in. She now mover her attention to the second object on the desk, "And what's this?" she says as she picks it up.

"That is a Dreamsphere," Yen Sid answers. "With this sphere you can communicate with me through your dreams."

"You mean going into the Realm of Sleep, like what Sora and Riku did in their exam?"

"Not quite. You will be bound by your own dreams. Your thoughts however, will then project themselves to the person whom you wish to contact. Use this to make contact and update me of the current situation."

"I understand." Kairi answers.

Yen Sid nods with a smile, "This is all I can offer. The rest is up to you."

Kairi smiles, "Don't worry, I'll be sure to figure this out."

Kairi turns around walking towards the door. "Wait a moment," Yen Sid said after Kairi takes a few steps, "During your time there, it is important that you must not let anyone know."

"Don't worry. I understand. Keep the Keyblade and the fact about other worlds a secret." Kairi said before she continues walking.

At the tower's main entrance, Donald and Goofy are looking up at the stars. The door opens behind them and the two turn around, "Kairi!" Donald cries out.

"How's it going?" Goofy asks with a waved hand.

"Everything's fine" she says with a smile

"Say, uh shouldn't you be training or something?" Goofy asks while scratching his head.

"Well, Yen Sid is sending me on a mission as part of my training. This way I can find out how strong I've become."

Donald sighs, "You really have to go?"

"Don't worry." She says before walking past the two. "Oh yeah," she says, getting the duo's attention, "If you see Sora," she turns around with a smile, "Tell him that I'll be seeing him sooner than he thinks."

"You got it!" Donald cries out.

"Just be careful. After all, who knows what will happen out there?" Goofy said cheerfully.

"Right." She looks forward before taking a few more steps. She takes out the Star Shard and presses it onto her chest as she looks down, closing her eyes. As if resonating with Kairi's thoughts, the Star Shard shines before giving a bright flash. Kairi is now gone and a particular shooting star bounces its way into the countless stars in the sky.

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#SCAENA FELIX#

Mitakahira Town, the leading capital of the technology of its world. It is well known, and some even say it is the city of the future. In one of its many hospitals, two girls, both wearing the same school uniform, are walking in a hallway. Along with them is a strange white creature that is perched on the pink-haired girl's shoulder. "Say Sayaka, did you hear about that rumor?" the girl asked her blue-haired friend.

"What rumor, Madoka?" Sayaka responds with a curious look.

"Well, according to the news this morning, people saw a strange shooting star last night." Madoka answers.

"Oh, now that you mention," Sayaka says while she looks up as recalls the story, "I heard several of the other students talking something like that. They said it was bouncing off the stars in the sky before there was a bright flash and it disappeared."

"What do think it was?"

"Well I know as much as you do, Madoka." Sayaka says as they leave the through the hospital doors and begin to walk by the bikes parked at the hospital.

* * *

The sun begins to set, dyeing Mitakihara Town in twilight. Kairi is walking around, trying to find some clue to the mystery she is trying to solve. The girl sighs, "This is going to be tougher than I thought." She pauses for a few seconds as she crosses her arms, "Hopefully I can find some kind of clue before…" Kairi stops speaking as she senses something. It was faint, but she can tell that it is something dark. Kairi closes her eyes and focuses on the source. After a few seconds, she opens her eyes quickly before turning around, running towards the dark power she is sensing.

After about ten minutes, she finds herself near a hospital. With each step, she can feel the darkness getting stronger, as if it's calling out to her. After taking a turn around a row of bushes, she finds two rows of parked bikes but what caught her attention are two blue school bags on the ground. The girl rushes towards the bags, the presence is extremely strong here. She looks around before noticing a black splotch on the hospital's wall and another blue school bag next to it. After taking a few steps closer, the feeling becomes stronger. "It's here" she mutters out. The next moment, her Keyblade appears in her hand, confusing the girl for a few seconds. She grasps the hilt with both hands and pointed her weapon at the spot in front of her. Light gathers at the tip of the Keyblade before firing a beam into the wall, opening some type of portal in the wall. Kairi nods her head before proceeding into the world beyond the portal.

The place was eerily dark, filled with all sorts of tools and items one would find in a hospital. "Wow, this is kind of creepy." Kairi commented as she continues walking forward. She soon notices several glowing lines in the distance. As she gets closer, she can see the glowing lines are yellow chains, painted onto red ribbons. She gasps as she sees a girl, with black hair, suspended in the air trapped in the ribbons. Kairi runs to the girl. "Hey, are you okay?" Kairi calls out.

The girl makes a small sound before turning her head around with a mildly surprised look. "Who are you?" she asks in a calm manner.

Kairi smiles, "Let me get you out of that first, okay." She runs past the girl before turning around. To her surprise, the ribbons binding her are connected to a flower lock with a keyhole. "Well this should be easy." She said while summoning the Keyblade before pointing it at the girl.

"Wait. What are you-" the girl says with a slight hint of fear.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you." Kairi says before light gathers at the tip of the Keyblade. A second later, the Keyblade fires a beam and makes contact with the keyhole. A clicking sound echoes as the keyhole glows before the ribbons glow as well with a white light. A second later, the ribbons dissipated, and the captive girl drops to the ground. Luckily, she lands in a crouched position before standing up. Kairi can see that she is a head taller than the girl.

"Thank you." She says coldly before she glows, catching Kairi off guard. After a flash of light, the girl is entirely in a different outfit, along with a small shield on her left wrist and walks forward. "Hopefully, I can save all of them in time," she mutters after passing Kairi.

"Hey wait," Kairi reaches a hand up out to the girl. She hears a click just as she touches her shoulder, and everything goes monochromatic around them. The girl turns her head around. She was about to say something, but when she saw Kairi's eyes, she senses something about the red-head. Kairi gives a sympathetic smile, "Please, let me help you."

The girl contemplates on this. Already she has decided to do everything herself. But there is something about Kairi that she can't put her finger on. And yet, she feels like she can trust her. The girl looks forward, "Just don't let go of me." She says in a matter of fact tone, "If you do, I can't guarantee your safety."

"All right." The two walk together, Kairi's hand still on the other girl's shoulder. After awhile Kairi sees bizarre creatures, but something is not right. Her new companion doesn't seem worried about them. As the two walk by the creatures that's when she notices something. The creatures aren't moving. In fact, they are not moving at all, not even a single twitch. _Is this some kind of time magic?_ Kairi wonders.

* * *

A small pink doll with two round eyes, rabbit-like ears lies on a ground entirely made of cake frosting. A musket is placed on the doll. The musket is held by the Magical Girl, Mami. She has yellow hair, braids shaped liked drills, in a white and black outfit. Mami pulls the trigger before discarding the used musket and the doll, which is known as a Witch, is lifted into the air by small strings.

"She's got it!" Sayaka calls out behind a giant doughnut, next to her are Madoka and the white creature.

Mami smiles as she takes another rifle in her hand, transforming it into a giant cannon before aiming it at the Witch.

"TIRO FINALE!" she yells out as she fires. The shell pierces through the doll, before turning into ribbons that squeezes into the Witch. From its mouth, a large worm-shaped being comes out, and reaches Mami in nearly an instant. This new form is black with red spots. It has two wings for ears; one blue, the other red. Its face is like a deranged clown. It draws closer opening its mouth. Mami gasps, fearing her end. Madoka and Sayaka also hold their breaths. They cannot believe what is about to happen.

Three fireballs impact the side of the Witch, knocking it off balance. "Leave her alone, you monster!" a new voice to the girls cries out.

*UNFORGETTABLE*

Kairi runs towards the Witch as Madoka and Sayaka turn their heads to her direction. Kairi stops before brandishing her Keyblade, "I'm your opponent now!" she calls out. The Witch turns its head to her. The Witch dives at the Keyblade wielder, mouth open. Kairi jumps back, just as the Witch attempts to eat her alive, but plants its face into the floor instead. Before Kairi lands, she throws the Keyblade. The Keyblade spins with a white aura, piercing through the Witch. After going a few feet further, the Keyblade immediately goes back, cutting through the Witch once again before returning to Kairi as she lands.

The Witch looks up before rushing in again. Kairi rolls to her left, avoiding it once again. She fires off several fireballs, causing the Witch to falter. The Witch turns around and attempts to eat her once again. Kairi, barely jumps back in time, before pointing the Keyblade with both hands "FREEZE!" she cries out, firing a shard of ice. Upon impact, the Witches mouth is frozen shut. It angrily looks down at her, before lifting its head up. The creature intends to nail her like a hammer. Kairi avoids the Witch's attack, but the shockwave of the impact propels her a few feet from the Witch.

Its mouth now free from the ice, the Witch charges at the girl. Kairi, without hesitation, rushes in as well. Kairi jumps into the air, ready to swing her Keyblade. In one swift movement, the Witch opens its mouth and chomps down, with Kairi inside. The other girls looked on in shock, as the new girl is now nothing more but a snack. Madoka is shocked the most, witnessing someone's death in front of her eyes. The Witch wears a gleeful grin on its face before it stretches and contorts in pain; the girls look on in astonishment. The Witch reels its head back, before coughing out Kairi. Kairi tumbles into the ground, yet she uses the momentum to gain control of her body and skids in a crouched position facing the Witch.

Kairi looks up, panting for breath. The Keyblade wielder defiantly smiles at the predator, "What's wrong," she says while panting, "Did you forget to chew before you swallow?" The Witch is really steamed at her and charges in once again. Kairi slowly stands up. The Witch is in front of her face, opening its mouth. Before it can chow down, Kairi, jumps up and lands on its head. Immediately, the Witch flings her high into the air before rushing in to eat her up once and for all. Kairi's eyes are focused on the Witch as it opens its mouth. Just as the Witch is about to eat its meal, Kairi recovers in the air with an aerial flip, her momentum allows her to go above the Witch's head as it crunches into nothing but air. Kairi yells out, as she dives towards the Witch's body. In an instant, she slashes through the creature before landing into the ground on one knee, Keyblade held towards the air in an angle. The Witch's eyes are wide open, its face in complete shock. A few seconds later, it slowly dissolves into tiny particles.

Kairi stands up and looks at what's left of her opponent before it completely vanishes. The scenery stretches and contorts before she and the other girls are in a black void. Seconds later, they all appeared in front of the hospital, the area where the portal was. Kairi continues to look on, and catches sight of a small object floating towards the ground. Kairi walks up to it, dismissing her Keyblade, and lays her hand out. The object softly lands into her hand. _What's this?_ she wonders.

"Thank you," a voice calls out to her. Kairi turns around to see the blond girl walking towards her. The girl looks solemn, while Sayaka and Madoka run up behind her. "If you hadn't showed up in time, I may not still be here."

Kairi smiles, as she waves at her, "No need to thank me, I'm just doing what I needed to do. Actually I wouldn't have arrived in time if it weren't for her." She said pointing to someone behind the other girls. They turned around and finds the black-haired girl.

"How did you get out, Homura?" Mami asked in shock.

Kairi blinks her eyes, "Wait a minute. You trapped her in those ribbons?" She says as she points her finger to Mami before pointing to Homura.

"Yes." Homura replies calmly. She turns her gaze at Mami, "Luckily for you, this girl freed me. We were then able to reach the Witch just as you were about to lose your head."

"If you were there as well," Sayaka angrily speaks out, "Why didn't you help out!?"

"Because I asked her not to." Kairi says with a smile as Mami, Madoka, and Sayaka turn their attention to her, "I told her that I could handle it no problem."

"I-I" Madoka stutters and all eyes are on her, "I'm just glad, everyone made it out safely," she said with a sincere smile.

"Couldn't agree with you more." Kairi responds with her arms behind her back.

Mami looks at Kairi for a few seconds before smiling, "I'm Mami," she slightly bows, "Thanks again for saving me."

"Nice to meet you Mami, I'm Kairi." She turns her head to the others, "And you are…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Madoka," the pinkette says as she bows slightly.

The blue-haired girl also bows, "And I'm Sayaka, thanks again for helping us."

A white creature jumps onto Madoka's shoulder, Madoka smiles and points at it, "I'm pretty sure you know about Kyubey, since you're a Magical Girl as well."

Kairi blinks before staring into Kyubey. "Actually," the creature speaks telepathically, "this is the first time we ever met." The revelation shocks all the girls. Kairi though is surprised that Kyubey uses telepathy to communicate.

"Wait," Sayaka began to say incredulously, "you're saying you never met Kairi before?"

"Nope, and yet she can use magic. I have to say, you're an especially unique Magical Girl, Kairi," it said while tilting its head to the side.

"Oh, really?" she said in a confused tone but in fact she is actually nervous. Kairi doesn't want to think of anything else. If this creature is telepathic then it can easily read Kairi's mind. Before she contemplates further, she turns her attention to the black-haired girl, "and you?"

"Homura," she simply states.

"Well, I guess introductions are finally out of the way." Kairi said, before turning to Mami, "So why did you tie up Homura?"

"I believed she is someone not worth trusting," she replies in a hostile tone, looking back at the black-haired girl.

"You're the one who shouldn't be trusted, Mami." Homura says coldly. Mami merely narrows her eyes at Homura.

"Okay," Kairi said in a questioning tone."How about we forget about it, I mean we were all after the same target, right?"

"She's right," Madoka says in agreement, "Can we continue this at your place, Mami?"

Mami looks at the ground for a minute before looking back up, "Sure, I don't mind continuing this at home."

"Great!" Kairi lets out, before turning to Homura, "Why don't you come with us?"

Homura only looks at them coldly, "I prefer not." She looks at Madoka and Sayaka, who flinch at her gaze, "Remember this. If it weren't for me and Kairi, Mami would be dead and the same could be said for you two." She pauses as she narrows her eyes, placing more weight on the two girls, "Always fighting, always in mortal danger. Remember, that is what it means to be a Magical Girl." Homura turns around leaving the girls, and Kyubey.

* * *

_Mami's Apartment_

"This is a wonderful place you have here, Mami," Kairi said before sipping a cup of tea, "I'm kind of surprised you can afford all of this."

"Actually," Mami started, "the money I have is inherited from my parents," she said with a sad smile. She is sitting to Kairi's right. To Kairi's left is Sayaka, and on the other side of the round table is Madoka, with Kyubey perched on her shoulder.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kairi apologizes; she didn't mean to bring up sad memories.

"It's all right."

"Hey, Kairi," Sayaka calls to her, and Kairi looks at her. "How long have you been a Magical Girl?"

_Magical Girl_, Kairi thought. "Well, I have been doing this sort of thing for a month now," she answers, referring to her training.

"Just one month?" Madoka says in astonishment. She knows that Mami has been a Magical Girl for more than a year and is a well-established veteran. "So how many Witches have you defeated?"

_Witches, so that's what they are…_ Kairi thinks to herself. "To tell the truth there are hardly any Witches from where I'm from, so that fight I just had is actually my first big kill."

"Really?" Mami asked with wide eyes, "Where are you from?"

Luckily for Kairi, she already formed an answer for that question, "I'm from a group of islands, in the middle of the sea. Most people there don't venture out much and we hardly have any connection with the outside world."

"Then how did you get here?" Sayaka asked.

"Well, I left home in a ship. I bet you can figure the rest out on your own." Kairi said with a simple smile. "I'm curious of one thing though," she says with a finger on her chin, "what were those things that walked around inside the Witch's maze?"

"Those are Familiars, they serve to protect the Witch that created them," Mami answers, "Sometimes a Familiar will stray from the Witch, and if they kill enough people, they become a fully-grown Witch."

Kairi nods as she receives this information. "And where do Witches come from?"

Sayaka speaks up with a finger in the air near her face, "Since Magical Girls are born from wishes, Witches are the opposite, they are born from curses." Sayaka turns to Mami, "Isn't that right, Mami?" Mami responds with a nod. Sayaka turns to Kairi, "So what was your wish?" Kairi contemplates on the question. Based on what she just heard, Sayaka is asking what wish Kairi made to become a Magical Girl. Nothing is said for a minute, and Sayaka starts to get nervous for asking something she shouldn't have. "Well…If you don't want to tell us your-"

"My wish…" Kairi interrupts, answering Sayaka's question, wearing a soft smile "is to be able to help my friends."

"To be able to help your friends?" Madoka responds.

Kairi nods, "My friends they're… working hard. They help a lot of people. They even helped me several times when I needed it most. But…" Kairi closes her eyes, picking out the right words to say next, "They always push themselves, and I always get left behind, worrying about them. So I decided, that I would find some way to help them. To shoulder some of their burden. And one month ago, someone came by and gave me the chance to help them." Kairi pauses as everyone present lets it all sink in. "Well," she says with a happy smile, "that's how I came to be here and help you all out." Kairi scratches the back of her head, "Though, it seems that life of a Magical Girl can be pretty tough."

"I envy you Kairi," Madoka says with a sad smile, "You already know what you want to do. As for me, I still don't have anything to wish for."

Mami smiles, looking at Madoka "It's okay," she says, confusing Madoka. "I said that after I finish off that Witch, you can ask Kyubey to make a huge cake as celebrating our new partnership."

"Wait," Kairi interrupts, "Seriously, you would have Madoka wish for a cake to become a Magical Girl?"

Mami nods, still looking at Madoka, "However, since I didn't finish off that Witch, I guess the whole arrangement is void. Still…"

"Don't worry Mami," Madoka assures her, "I'm sure I can make a wish that I know that I won't regret."

"Thank you, Madoka," Mami says with a sad smile.

The girls continue eating cake and drinking tea for the next minute, "It's starting to get late," Sayaka comments.

Mami looks out to the window, "I guess I should start getting back to work," she says as she rubs the ring on her hand, which transforms into a yellow, ornate jewel with black splotches on the inside. "Though it will be difficult, since I can't use my magic too much."

Sayaka looks solemnly at Mami, "You mean you don't have any more Grief Seeds?"

Mami nods. Kairi on the other hand puts a finger on her chin. _Grief Seed?_ she wonders for a moment. Kairi shuffles her hand in the pocket of the skirt of her dress. "You mean this?" she asks; taking out the object she acquired from her opponent.

Mami nods, "You should use it." Her words confuses Kairi, "You're the one who finished it off, and I'm sure you need it to cleanse your Soul Gem and regain your magic."

Kairi looks at the Grief Seed in her hand. She can tell that these Grief Seeds are important for a Magical Girl in order to keep on fighting Witches. Kairi shakes her head, "No, I want you to have it. Trust me, you need it more than I do." Kairi smiles, "Just consider it as a token of our friendship," she offers the object to Mami.

Mami is at a loss for words. After a few seconds, she reaches out, hesitating for a second before taking the Grief Seed away from Kairi. "Thank you," she said graciously before touching her Soul Gem with the Grief Seed. Kairi notices how the black specks in the gem are drawn into the Grief Seed.

"Looks like you're ready to go, Mami" Sayaka said with excitement.

"Ready, for what?" Kairi asked in confusion.

"To hunt down Witches, what else," Sayaka said obviously.

"Sorry, I'm still somewhat new to this whole thing," Kairi responds with an embarrassed smile. Almost immediately, she looks at them with curious eyes, "Which comes to my next question, what do Witches do? I mean, how they hurt people?"

"Witches don't just hurt people," Mami said in a somewhat serious tone, "Witches exist to kill innocent people." Kairi blinks with a serious face before nodding to let Mami continue, "Witches tend to stay hidden within their barriers. They attack people by placing a mark on them known as a Witch's Kiss. Those that are marked fall under the Witch's power. They would then go on to commit either murder or suicide unwittingly."

Kairi is at a loss for words. After a minute Kairi regains her composure, "So they're that dangerous, right?" The other girls nod. Kairi close her eyes, contemplating on what to say next, "Listen. I can already tell you take your job seriously. But, why don't you take tonight off?" The girls looked at her incredulously, "What I mean is, you nearly lost your life. Shouldn't you take things slow for a bit before heading out again?" The girls simply stare at her. "And besides, that girl, Homura, is also a Magical Girl, so I'm pretty sure she will be hunting down Witches tonight for sure."

Silence falls into the room, and Kairi begins to feel nervous for saying something she shouldn't have. Mami closes her eyes before looking back up at Kairi, "Kairi," she said in an authoritative tone, Kairi holds her breath. Mami kept her look for a few seconds before softening, "I suppose I could take tonight off. I mean, I would probably push myself more than necessary if I continued on with my hunt tonight." Kairi lets out a sigh of relief. "However," Kairi raises her head, looking into Mami's stern eyes, "Homura isn't someone to be trusted."

"How come?" Kairi asks.

"Kyubey says that Homura is an anomaly," she answers, looking at Kyubey, who is now on the table next to her.

At that last word, Kairi's eyes turned serious. That is the reason she is here in the first place, "What do you mean?"

Kyubey lifts its head up towards Kairi, "Homura is clearly a Magical Girl, but I do not have the slightest recollection of making a contract with her." Kairi blinks at this information.

"Not only that," Mami continues, "She's been trying to prevent both Madoka and Sayaka from making the contract."

"Maybe she has her reasons?" Kairi asked.

"Hmph" Sayaka responds, crossing her arms, "Yeah, I bet. If me and Madoka become Magical Girls, then she will find less Grief Seeds for herself."

"What do you mean?" Kairi inquires.

"Most Magical Girls believe that hunting down Witches is a matter of competition for survival," Mami answers seriously. "They may even try to defeat other Magical Girls just to make sure that they can get more Grief Seeds for themselves."

"That sounds ridiculous," Kairi said sternly. "I may not know what Homura's intentions are. But when I first met her, I can already tell that she is a good person. It's true, that she seems cold and distant. However, that doesn't mean you should immediately treat her as an enemy. If we can convince Homura to join us, then maybe we can work something out that makes everyone happy."

The girls are awed about her speech. Mami hums as she thinks on what Kairi just said. "How about I talk to her," Madoka spoke out, catching everyone's attention. "I don't know how to say this but, I feel as if I've met her before. Before she transferred to our class." Madoka fidgets with her hands for a few seconds, "I can at least try to know why she doesn't want us to become Magical Girls."

Kairi nods, "I think that sounds like a good idea."

Madoka smiles, "Well, I better get going. I already told my mom I'd come home late. But I should get home before it gets too dark." The other girls nod before Sayaka stands up before stretching out her arms.

"Yeah, I guess I better get home too," said Sayaka. Madoka stands up as well, Kyubey then climbs up on her shoulder.

"Just be careful, on your way home," Kairi said.

"Don't worry, we will." Sayaka assures them before the two leave the apartment.

After they close the door, Mami turns to Kairi, "Shouldn't you go home as well?"

"Well, actually I just arrived in town today, so I don't have any sleeping arrangements." Then an idea sparked in Kairi's head, "Say, is it okay that I sleep here?" Her question surprises Mami.

After a few seconds, Mami nods her head, "You can stay as long as you need to," she said with a joyous smile. She has been alone for so long, that having someone sleeping in her place is greatly comforting.

"Great!" Kairi exclaims before yawning. "Think I'll retire for now," Kairi looks around and finds a sofa, "I'll take the sofa, if that's okay with you?" Mami nods. "See you in the morning then." Kairi said before walking to the said sofa before lying down on it. Before she lets the curtains of slumber fall on her, Kairi sits up before shuffling her hand through her pocket. She takes out the Dreamsphere, placing it on her chest, beneath her hands before laying back into the sofa. Almost immediately she is whisked away into dreamland. Mami notices Kairi has already gone to sleep. She was going to ask what Kairi pulled out, but that can wait for tomorrow.

* * *

Kairi opens her eyes, finding herself floating in a space filled with strangely-colored clouds, flowing one way or another, giving the place a magical feel. Kairi looks at her surroundings before closing her eyes. "Master Yen Sid…can you hear me?" In moments, several clouds gather in front of her. The clouds turn into a shape of an oval, within a few seconds a light emanates from the cloud, like a magical mirror. After the light fades, the wise sorcerer appears in his desk on the other side of the window.

"Ah. Kairi, how do you fare?"

Kairi nods, "Everything's fine. I'm calling to let you know of what I found." The sorcerer nods his head, giving Kairi the cue to proceed. She tells him everything she just learned, the Witches, Familiars, Magical Girls, Soul Gems, and Grief Seeds. She didn't tell him about the process of becoming a Magical Girl or about Homura being the disturbance she was sent to investigate. Her reason for the latter is because she does not have enough proof nor can she believe that Homura is a bad person. "And that's all I've managed to find so far," Kairi finished.

The sorcerer strokes his beard, "I see." he asked in a curious tone. "These Witches truly sound frightening." He places both hands on his lap as he close his eyes while looking down. "If we are to solve this mystery," he said before looking up, opening his eyes, "it is best to keep these Witches in check."

"Not to question, but since this appears to be a problem for this world. Wouldn't that be considered interfering?" Kairi asks.

"Tell me, do you consider yourself as interfering with the lives of those that you met?"

Kairi shakes her head "No, in fact. I feel as if I'm supposed to be here now."

Yen Sid nods with a smile, "Then that is your answer."

Kairi makes a slight sound of surprise before nodding her head, returning the smile. "I'll let you know when I find more information."

The wizard nods before the image stretches and contorts, fading away. The clouds dissipate and the entire realm becomes engulfed in light. Kairi finally sense she is now drifting into the depths of her dreams.

* * *

_Riku's Log 1_

_It's been nearly a month since Kairi started training with Yen Sid. It's also been nearly a month since Sora left. I had a feeling he went back to the Realm of Sleep to thank all the Dream Eaters that helped during our Mark of Mastery exam. However, he has been gone for so long that it's gotten me worried. Knowing him, I'm betting he found some trouble and is trying to find a way to solve it. That's so like him._

_As for Kairi, she has shown great progress in her training. She already has mastery over the basic spells of magic and her abilities with the Keyblade are pretty much on par with Sora's when I met him when… I was not myself. I wouldn't be surprised if she becomes as strong as Donald when it comes to magic when her training is done, maybe even stronger than mine or Sora's._

_Today, I was sent to a new world under Master Yen Sid's request. He has sensed a "great disturbance" and asked me to look into it. The world I was sent to has a large city, and from what I gathered, it's the leading city of this world's technology. At first glance, everything seems peaceful. However, as soon as I arrived in this world, I can already feel a large force of darkness. Despite that, the people in this world seem to be doing their daily activities, unaware of this presence. After focusing my attention on the darkness in this world, I realized that it isn't one powerful entity, but multiple entities. _

_Not that I am doubting myself, but I believe it's best to write down my observations and experiences just in case something happens to me. These entities seem to be around all over this city and perhaps even more areas in this world. There might be more powerful ones than those that I am sensing right now, and so I will write down everything in my time here as a form of fail-safe, in case something happens to me._

_After detecting one presence nearby, I approached with caution. At first nothing happened. All of a sudden, the presence I felt multiplied in force. At the same time, the entire scenery changed, and found myself in some sort of bizarre, otherworldly maze. I decided to proceed farther into the maze, battling against weird creatures. The creatures possess darkness, but are clearly not Heartless, but rather fragments of the presence in this place._

_It didn't take me long to find the master of this bizarre space. It was a creature unlike anything I have neither seen or felt. But there was a familiar force surrounding it, darkness. With Keyblade in hand, I fought this strange apparition. As soon as I defeated it, the space I was in disappeared and found myself back in this world. Not only that, there was a strange item lying on the ground. The item in question is nothing I have ever seen before; it is small enough to wrap my entire hand around it. Yet there is something I felt from it. Though it was weak, I can still sense the presence of the apparition in this item. Perhaps this is its true form, or maybe these are some type of remains of my opponent._

_No sooner that I walked around after this event, I felt another dark presence had disappeared. Is there someone else that is fighting this darkness? If so, perhaps they may have a clue for my investigation. Yet, I shouldn't make direct contact with anyone in this world yet. Instead, I'll travel outside of this city and see how far this spread of darkness exists within this world. I should make contact with Yen Sid and see what my next course of action should be._

* * *

**Author's Note: The Riku's Log thing is something similar to Secret Reports from the Kingdom Hearts series. From now on, there will be a Riku's Log after each chapter, just to give you guys an idea what Riku is doing in this world.**

**I'll have the next chapter up by around two weeks from now.**

**Other than that, I hope all of you are enjoying this.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: WHAT DID YOU DO

"TIRO FINALE!" Mami yells out as she fires her transformed cannon-sized pistol. The shell pierces through a pink doll, before turning into ribbons that squeezes into it. From its mouth, its true form, a giant worm-like being with a clown face, comes out. Almost immediately it went up to Mami's face, opening its mouth. Mami gasps. Madoka, who is alone, holds her breath. A second later, she cannot believe what just happened. Mami just got eaten. A few seconds later, several fireballs explode when they made contact with the Witch. Not even flinching it turns around. Kairi runs up to it, Keyblade in hand. She jumps up ready to slash through it. The Witch maneuvers around Kairi just as she slashed. The next moment, the Witch gobbles her up as well.

Madoka steps backwards. "Always fighting," Homura's voice echoes. "Always in mortal danger." The Witch turns its face to Madoka as she trembles, her face white with terror. "Remember, that is what it means to be a Magical Girl." The Witch rushes in, opening its mouth, all that Madoka can see is the empty darkness beyond those teeth.

Madoka jolts up from her bed, gasping. Her face is smitten with fear, eyes wide open. She stifles as she tries to hold back the tears. _Just a nightmare, _she thought to assure herself. Try as she might she cannot convince herself. To her, the dream felt real and a part of her is saying what occurred in that dream was real. She looks at her alarm clock, indicating it is now three in the morning.

* * *

**_Mami's Apartment (7:20am)_**

"Wow, this tastes real good, Mami," said Kairi after chewing a piece of a pancake on her plate on the table. Mami is sitting on the other side.

"I'm glad you enjoy it," Mami responds with a smile.

"I have to say, you're a really good cook. I can't wait to try another one of your desserts."

"How about I make some after dinner tonight?"

"Sounds good," Kairi said with a smile.

Twenty minutes have passed and the girls finished eating breakfast and are now walking on the streets of Mitakahira City. Mami is in her school uniform, while Kairi is still wearing her attire from yesterday. "By the way," Mami said, catching Kairi's attention, "Not once you changed back from your transformation?"

"What?" Kairi said blinking confused. A second later, she realizes what Mami meant, "Oh, you mean my clothes? Well, I like these clothes. They're light as a feather, and they're made from a special type of material. Not only that, I can wear this thing for a whole year, and it wouldn't get dirty."

"Wait, so those clothes are…" she says with a surprised tone

"Yep, it's what I usually wear these days."

"But, aren't you afraid?" Mami says with a worried look, "I mean, you do stand out in those clothes?" Kairi looks around a bit. They are now walking with several other students and they all have been noticing Kairi's outfit.

"I guess I do. But there could be more outlandish outfits."

"Like what?" Mami asks.

"The top on my list is walking around with armor like a knight, or someone dressed in robes like a wizard."

"Are you into cosplay?"

"Let's just say if you experienced things I have been through, you wouldn't be bothered or surprised of how people dress or how they act," Kairi's words confusing Mami. "Well, I think I'll be on my way and let you go to school." Kairi said before breaking away from her, "Oh. Tell Sayaka and Madoka I said 'hi.'" Mami nods before Kairi, waving her hand, turns down a street while Mami kept going straight.

* * *

Two hours later, Kairi is walking around the alleys of Mitakahira City. Though she may not have a Soul Gem to find Witches, she can sense them when they are active. "I don't sense anything," she says before sighing, "I'm willing to bet Riku can sense the Witches way better since he has a sixth sense for detecting darkness." Kairi continues walking around until she notices something in a small crevice between two buildings. The item in question is a blue diamond, finely cut, standing on its tip. Kairi walks towards it before reaching a hand out to it. Just as she touches it, the gem glows a bright blue.

In few short seconds, the gem is surrounded by a blue light; a holographic band of a darker blue, circles around with the word "SHOP" in yellow letters. A small light appears above the gem. "Kupo!" A projection of a strange creature cries out, appearing from the light which dispersed like fireworks. The creature has a white body, a big round nose, and small bat-like wings. Its noticeable feature is the red sphere above the creature, connected by a thin black antenna, "Hey there, little lady; how can I help you today, kupo?"

"Oh, you're a Moogle, aren't you?" Kairi said with a smile, yet she is still surprised.

"Yep, the name's Mog, kupo. How can I help you out today, kupo?"

"Let's see…" Kairi says, looking up with a finger on her chin. A few seconds later, she hums, "Do you have any Ethers by any chance?"

"Sure do! How many do you want, kupo?"

"About ten for now."

"Ten, heh. Okay then, that will be one thousand Munny, kupo!"

Nothing is said for a few seconds. "Umm… Do you accept yen, I'm actually quite low on Munny," Kairi asks with embarrassment.

"Don't worry, it's no problem at all, kupo."

"Really!" Kairi said with hopeful excitement.

Mog nods his head before muttering that he's looking something as he twists and turns for a few seconds. Mog then pulls out a calculator that's half his size, muttering about how much yen it would take for Kairi to make the exchange. "According to my calculations, all you need is…" Kairi looks at the Moogle with anticipation. A few seconds later, "one thousand yen, kupo." Kairi happily sighs before reaching out one of the bills in her wallet to Mog. Mog raises an arm towards the paper bill, and in a flash it transforms into Munny, astonishing Kairi. The Munny goes inside the gem. "Thank you for your business, kupo." He said as a pouch appears in a bright light between buyer and seller. Kairi takes her purchased goods before putting them inside her pocket. "I have to say you're my very first customer using this outlet, kupo."

"Really?"

"Yes, when I heard that girls fighting with magic here is a common thing, I opened up a shop outlet over here. However, that was about ten years ago, and not a single customer at all. I heard their fighting is actually secret and is done only in alleys and other rundown places. So I thought I set up shop in this very spot, kupo."

"But you never had a customer at all?"

"Sadly, no, kupo," it said hanging it's head low.

Kairi couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic with the Moogle, "Well, I better get going. I wish you luck."

"Oh, thank you. And be careful out there, kupo."

"Thanks, I will," she said before she continues to walk around the area; looking at the wallet in her hand. _I'm glad Mami gave me some money_.

* * *

**_Mami's Room (Flashback)_**

_"You're really giving this to me_?"_ Kairi asked with astonishment. In her hands is a wallet with bills ranging from one thousand yen to ten thousand yen._

_Mami nods, "If you don't mind, could you buy these for me?" She hands a list to Kairi, who accepted the list after nodding her head. "After you're done with the shopping, go ahead and buy whatever you want."_

* * *

**_Present Time_**

Kairi already did her errand before searching for more Witches and running into that Moogle shop. She is now walking among a crowd of people. Some of those gave her some looks, but she didn't mind standing out all that much. As she is about to pass an alley, she senses a dark presence. _There's a Witch around here_, she looks into the alley before walking into it. After taking several turns she comes across a narrow passage with a dumpster in the middle.

She hears someone heckling, and a shady figure appears behind the dumpster. Kairi takes a stand, the guy looks at her with an insane look, head tilted to the side. "Hey there, pretty girl," he said. The man takes a knife out of his pocket, "How about we play a game?" he asked before staggering towards her. Just as the man is about to start to run, Kairi disappears in a blur, confusing the man. The man looks around, trying to find her.

"Sleep," Kairi mutters, and the man tumbles to the ground, the knife sliding a few feet after he hit the pavement. Kairi, holding her Keyblade, walks from behind and examines him. _I knew it._ On the side of the man's neck is a particular sigil. The mark of a Witch; a Witch's Kiss. Kairi looks towards the wall next to the dumpster, the side where the man came from. Kairi raises her Keyblade at the spot. The Keyblade fires a beam, opening a gateway into the Witch's barrier. Kairi nods with determination before walking into the labyrinth beyond the portal.

* * *

**_Mitakahira Middle School Rooftop_**

Madoka, Sayaka, and Mami are sitting on a stone block, with Kyubey sitting a few feet away from them. Sayaka gazes towards the steel fence, as Mami looks at Madoka sympathetically. Madoka gazes towards the ground. She had just finished describing her nightmare.

"That does sound scary," Mami said in a soothing tone. "The way you described your dream, it could have been a possibility and none of us would be here now. That's how dangerous being a Magical Girl is."

Madoka nods, still gazing towards the ground. "Still…" she mutters, "I still feel like we are in a different world."

"I agree…" Sayaka responds, "We're the only ones that know about Witches. I wonder how much our worlds have changed." Nothing is said for a minute. "Say, Madoka. Do you still want to be a Magical Girl?"

"Well…" she started out before looking at Mami. Though Madoka has promised that she would fight alongside Mami, she is now unsure of what to do.

Mami noticed that look before giving a sympathetic smile, "I understand. If I had a nightmare like that before I decided to become a Magical Girl, I would probably not make the contract myself. Even if you do not become a Magical Girl. Just knowing that you and Sayaka care about me, I don't feel so alone anymore."

"I'm sorry." Madoka said sadly after a few seconds, trying hard to hold back the tears.

"I'm the one that should be sorry," Kyubey said telepathically. Madoka and Sayaka look at him. "I'm sorry that I got you involved in all of this. And I can't force you to make a contract." Kyubey begins to walk away. "There are probably more girls that need me more." Kyubey turns its head towards the girls, "The time we had may have been short. But it was still fun, Madoka." Kyubey looks forward before walking away from the girls.

"I'm sorry…" Madoka says again as she looks down into the floor.

* * *

**_Meanwhile…_**

*VIM AND VIGOR*

The sky is blue and the sun is shining bright. However this is not a peaceful scene. Clotheslines litter the sky, each one filled with school girl shirts, and no ground in sight. School chairs and desks rain down from above. Kairi jumps from one clothesline to another; avoiding the falling objects. After the shower stops, Kairi looks up. She sees a headless, giant body, in school clothes. The being has four arms, each one hanging onto a clothesline and two longer arms protruding from the skirt. From under that same skirt, it releases a shower of legs with red ice skates.

Kairi raises a hand, surrounding herself in a crystal-like barrier. The barrier holds as the deadly legs simply bounce off. After the shower passes, Kairi bursts her shield, sending pieces of her shield outward. _Time to try a new trick, _she thinks as she raises the Keyblade, aiming it at the Witch. The scattered pieces of her shield gathered into the tip of the Keyblade, creating a white sphere. "Reflega Shot!" she cries out as she fires the sphere. After a few seconds, the sphere makes contact, creating a white explosion followed by a multitude of smaller bursts of light. The Witch however, is still intact. _Need to get closer_, she thought before raising her free arm across her body before swinging it. The movement took no more than a second, and Kairi's body bursts with a white light, which now surrounds her and her Keyblade.

Kairi runs forward. The Witch summons more desks and chairs onto the Keyblade wielder. Instead of jumping from one clothesline to another, she slashes through the storm. With each strike, whatever she hits, bursts with a white light. Kairi closes in on her target, which now sends a storm of desks, chairs, and bladed legs. Kairi sees several clotheslines to her right, and the clotheslines above them are the ones the Witch is clinging to. Though the jump to them seems impossible, Kairi did so without thought, barely escaping the Witch's attack. Just as she reaches the peak of her jump halfway, she bursts through the air, landing on the clothesline.

Immediately, she jumps to a clothesline above her. The next one above is one of the clotheslines the Witch is clinging to. Kairi jumps up. Just as she reaches the height of her jump, now in the middle between her jumping point and destination, she jumps again in the air. The double jump is enough for her to barely land on the intended clothesline with her feet. Immediately, she grinds on it, moving at a fast pace. Just as she is about to run into the Witch she jumps up. "Light!" she cries out, the aura surrounding her now focused in her weapon as she prepares to swing it. Just as she swings, she releases ten streams of light, moving forward in random directions (Light Stream). The streams of light hit their mark, causing multiple explosions of light. Kairi dives down, cutting through the Witch. Kairi continues to fall into the empty space, as the Witch's body explodes with light. After the light dissipates, Kairi lands in the alleyway on one knee; next to the man under the Witch's power. She extends a hand out. A Grief Seed falls into before she closes it instantaneously.

Just as she stands up, the man regains consciousness as he tries to get up. "Man," he utters out, "What happened?"

Kairi walks up to him, offering her hand, "Here let me help you."

"Thanks," he said before Kairi helps him up, "I feel weird for some reason."

"How about I take you to a hospital?"

"That sounds good." On that note, Kairi puts on of the man's arms around her shoulders, and leads him out of the alley.

* * *

The city is now under the cloak of twilight. Kairi is walking towards the exit of the hospital where she first met the girls. _The doctor said he's going to be fine. _ Kairi walks into the lobby and recognizes a girl heading to an elevator. Kairi rushes up to her, "Sayaka!" she calls out.

Sayaka stops before turning around. "Kairi, what are you doing here?" Sayaka finished asking as Kairi stops a few feet from her.

"I found someone in bad shape, so I helped him get here. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm here to see a friend of mine," she said with a smile.

"Say, is it okay if I tag along?" Kairi asks. Sayaka nods before pressing a button. The two enter as soon as the door opens. Kairi notices the bag that Sayaka is carrying, "Is that for your friend?" she asks while pointing to the bag.

Sayaka nods, "It's the only thing I could think of to help him cope."

Kairi asks about what happened to him. At first, Sayaka seemed hesitant, but she told Kairi what happened. Her friend was involved in an accident. Currently he is going through therapy, and is expected to walk again. He is also an expert violinist at such a young age. However, he has lost all feeling in his fingers in one hand. And with no proper treatment available with the current technology, he may never play a violin again. Sayaka said this last part sadly.

"I'm sorry," Kairi said sympathetically.

"It's not your fault," Sayaka says with an appreciative smile, as the elevator stops. The girls exit and walk down the hallway. After walking for a few minutes, Sayaka stops in front of a door, "Say, Kairi," Sayaka says, Kairi responds with a short hum, "Could you wait out here?" Kairi nods, before Sayaka enters the door.

After Sayaka closes it, Kairi looks at the name below the room number, "Kyosuke, huh?" Kairi said reading the name aloud. "He must be important to her," she says solemnly before turning around and leaning on the wall. Kairi gazes through the windows on the opposite wall. After about ten minutes, Kairi continues gazing through the window. "I wonder how Sora is doing?" she says softly with a sad smile.

"I don't want to hear it anymore!" a shout came from inside the room, catching Kairi's attention. Based on the voice it wasn't Sayaka, so she presumed it was the boy that is recovering who said that. Half a minute later, Kairi hears something being smashed. Though she doesn't hear any more voices, she can tell that those two are talking about something. A minute later, Sayaka exits the room. Just as she passes by Kairi, the latter notices something about her. The look in Sayaka's eyes shows a strong determination.

"Sayaka," Kairi calls out before following her. The two walk to the elevator, a word has not been spoken between them. After the two enter, Sayaka presses the roof floor button. "What is it?" Kairi asks calmly as the elevator starts to move.

"I've decided," Sayaka simply states. Kairi looks at her with a mixture of understanding and curiosity. Kairi knows what Sayaka has determined what to do. As the elevator stops and opens its doors, the girls walk forward. The rooftop is decorated with flower beds, forming a circular maze-like pattern. In the center of the flower beds is a round pedestal, with Kyubey standing on top of it. Flower petals flow with the wind as Sayaka navigates her way to the center where Kyubey is, while Kairi stands outside of the maze. Sayaka now stands in front of Kyubey, "You can really grant any wish, right?" Sayaka asks.

"Don't worry. Your wish is entirely grantable." Kyubey responds. "So…you ready?"

"Yes. Do it." Sayaka responds.

Kyubey's ears outstretch themselves before drawing close to Sayaka's chest. Sayaka grunts in pain, before a bright light comes out of her chest. At that moment, Kairi stands completely still, making a small gasp. The light turns into a blue crystalline object as Sayaka falls backwards. "Now…Accept it," Kyubey says as the object draws closer to Sayaka who begins to reach for it. "This is your destiny," Kyubey says when Sayaka grasps her new power. In a bright flash, she is covered in light. Kairi is still standing there, mouth wide open. After the light fades away, Sayaka stands tall, now wearing a white cape, a blue and white outfit, giving her the appearance of a magical knight.

Sayaka turns around looking at Kairi, "So, what do think?"

Kairi is at a loss for words before giving a forced smile, "I think it suits you quite well."

Sayaka nods, "Well, time to get down to business," she said with confidence. After walking past Kairi, she reverts back to normal before entering the elevator, "Hey are you coming?" she asked with a confused look.

"Go ahead," Kairi responds with a smile. "I'll catch up later." Sayaka nods before pressing a button. After the door closes, Kairi immediately looks at Kyubey with a dangerous ire. "What did you do?" she says with controlled anger.

"What do you mean?" Kyubey responds while tilting its head.

"You know what I mean," Kairi said, still trying to contain her temper. "What did you take out of Sayaka?" When she saw the whole thing, she looked on with wide eyes. At the moment something came out of Sayaka, Kairi heard a cry. It was no ordinary cry. At first, Kairi didn't understood what she heard. Now she is certain. Somehow, she was able to hear Sayaka's heart.

"That was the power that has been sleeping inside of Sayaka."

"That's a lie," Kairi retorts.

"I'm not lying. It's the truth."

"The truth, huh." Kairi says before she closes her eyes in order to think. What did Kyubey took away from Sayaka? That question is lingering in her head. Kairi takes a small, yet deep breath in order to rationalize what just happened. Sayaka performed a contract with Kyubey. Kairi's mind zeros in on the word "contract." Under a contract, one person usually gives up something in order to receive something else. "Let me rephrase my question. What is the price for becoming a Magical Girl?"

Kyubey looks at Kairi, swishing its tail. Kyubey says nothing for a few seconds. "I admit. I'm surprised." Kairi's eyes narrows into a glare. "You're the first one to ask me that question. In order for me to grant her wish and transform Sayaka into a Magical Girl, I take away her soul."

Kairi's eyes widen, she cannot believe what she just heard. "Her…soul…" she says.

"That's right."

"But why?!" Kairi shouts out with a swing of her arm. Right now, she feels like punishing Kyubey severely.

"I don't really take their soul," Kyubey answers, "I merely transfer it to a more compact and manageable vessel."

Kairi gasps, "The Soul Gem…"

"Correct. The human body is quite frail. If I have not done this, Sayaka will not be able to survive a single hit from a Witch. But now that her soul has been moved, she can easily endure a Witch's attack and continue fighting without any hindrance."

Kairi clenches her fist as she looks towards the ground. "Tell me… Does Mami know that her soul was taken as well?"

"No. Mami is unaware that her soul is now inside her Soul Gem."

Kairi grits her teeth. Of course Mami doesn't know. If she did, she would not have invited Sayaka and Madoka to the life of a Magical Girl. She feels like to go on an outburst. Thankfully, she manages to take in a deep breath to expel the built up anger. She looks up, staring at Kyubey crossly. "I'm not done with you yet," she says before jumping onto a fence. After taking in the sight, Kairi jumps towards another rooftop.

* * *

Night has settled. Kairi continues to jump from one rooftop to another. _How could he…_ Kairi thought. Though Kyubey gave his reason for taking away a girl's soul in order to transform that girl into a Magical Girl, Kairi does not approve of it. _I wonder…Does Homura know? If so, then that must be her reason of not having Madoka or Sayka form a contract._ After landing on a rooftop, she senses a Witch nearby. Kairi looks towards the direction where it came from. By her estimate, it is coming from the alley two buildings away from her. After jumping on the rooftop above her destination, Kairi no longer senses it. Kairi looks down into the alley. She sees Sayaka, in her transformation and Madoka. Seconds later, Mami arrives and based the look on her face, Kairi deduces that she is surprised that Sayaka make the contract. Kairi stays on top of the building, listening in to the girls' conversation. They suddenly stop and look towards the deep end of the alley. Kairi looks in that same direction, and there she sees Homura. Kairi can tell that Homura looks displeased. After Sayaka said something to Homura, nothing is said for a while before Homura walks away.

Kairi jumps down into a different alley. After a few turns in the backstreets, she stands in front of Homura's path. Homura did not notice until she could see Kairi's face a few feet away. "Tell me," Kairi says in a calm, yet stern tone, "Do you know that a girl must give up her soul in order for her wish to be granted and become Magical Girls?"

Homura's eyes widen, but only for a second, "Yes," she answers.

"Why didn't you tell them that there is such a price?"

"They wouldn't believe me," she says before looking to the side and Kairi's eyes widen, noticing for the first time that Homura has a hint of sadness in her eyes. "No one ever believed me, so why bother?"

"Shouldn't we tell them about this?" Kairi says with a slight frown.

"It is best that they do not know. If they do, things will never be the same," she says before walking past Kairi.

Kairi turns around looking at Homura's silhouette before it disappears, "Homura…" she says with a sympathetic tone.

Several minutes later, Kairi is walking alone on a street, heading back to Mami's place. She looks towards the ground, trying to figure out what to do next. "Maybe… I should…" Kairi begins to say to herself softly.

"Hey, Kairi!" Sayaka's voice calls from behind, Kairi turns around as Mami, now in civilian clothes, Sayaka, and Madoka catch up with her.

"How's it going, guys?" Kairi said with optimism, hiding the fact that she is actually not feeling too well.

"Oh, I just happen to take down my first Witch," Sayaka said proudly.

"Wow, that's good for you," Kairi said with a smile.

"By the way," Sayaka says with a curious look, leaning forward, "where were you?"

"Oh, well I had something important to take care of. Sorry, I couldn't come."

"It's okay," Mami said, "Though I arrived late myself, Sayaka did a good job."

"Please, you're embarrassing me," Sayaka says with a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of her head before pointing to Madoka. "Actually, the real hero tonight is Madoka,"

"I didn't do that much," Madoka said with small smile, looking towards the side.

"Are you kidding?" Sayaka responds while patting Madoka's back. "You saved Hitomi and everyone else in there from getting killed by mixing those chemicals."

"Well, I just remembered what my Mom told me about them."

"Either way," Kairi begins, "Sayaka's right. You did save a lot of people. On top of that, you're not even a Magical Girl, so that really does earn you some big points."

"You really think so?" Madoka says with a smile.

"Definitely. Sometimes you don't need to rely on magic, you just need to rely on your own strength," Kairi said with a smile. The girls continue to converse for another fifteen minutes before they all head home.

* * *

**_Mami's Apartment_**

As soon as Kairi and Mami go through the entrance, Kairi stretches out. "I'm a bit tired, so I think I'll just go to sleep." Kairi walks to the sofa, taking the Dreamsphere.

As soon as Mami sees it, she remembers something. "Kairi," she calls out, catching Kairi's attention. "What's that jewel your holding?"

"Oh, this?" Kairi said, lifting the Dreamsphere, "It's a little charm to help me sleep better."

"A charm?" Mami asks with a curious tilt of her head.

Kairi nods, "Yeah, it's actually quite useful. Well, good night." Kairi lays down on the sofa, places the Dreamsphere on her chest, under her hands.

* * *

**_Dreamscape…_**

*MAGICAL MYSTERY*

Kairi stands in the cloud-filled space, as Yen-Sid's image appears before her. Before Yen-Sid says anything, he can already see that Kairi is troubled. The sorcerer strokes his beard, "Is something troubling you Kairi?"

"Yeah…" she responds, gazing towards her the space below. After taking a deep breath she looks up with a serious look, a feature Yen-Sid takes in, "I just found out something regarding to Magical Girls. There's a being in this world called Kyubey. He has the power to change girls into Magical Girls by forming a contract."

"A contract?" Yen Sid asks with a curious tone.

Kairi nods, "I already knew about the contract, it requires the girl to make a wish and in return she accepts a life of fighting against Witches."

"But that's not all is it." Yen-Sid responds, having an idea that there is more to it than that.

"Your right, I just found out, that in order to transform the girl into a Magical Girl, Kyubey takes the girl's soul and places it inside the Soul Gem. Kyubey claims this is a means to help them fight off Witches."

Yen-Sid eyes widen for a few seconds before closing them. "If that is the case…" Yen-Sid mutters seconds later. Kairi focuses her attention, hoping that Yen-Sid can tell her on what to do about this entire situation. After a few seconds, the master opens his eyes, "In order to solve our mystery; it is best to consider that there is a relationship between Kyubey and the Witches."

Kairi narrows her eyes, "Kyubey and the Witches are related?"

Yen-Sid nods, "This is a riddle that you must answer for yourself. If you can solve this riddle, perhaps you may find a way to save them."

"You mean," Kairi says with a hopeful voice, "get their souls back."

The sorcerer nods. "It is best that you be cautious; especially around Kyubey."

"Right," Kairi says with a nod before Yen-Sid's image fades away and Kairi is engulfed in a white light.

* * *

_Riku's Log 2_

_I am surprised that Kairi is in this world. She is also sent here to investigate and has already found some information regarding to this world. From what she told Yen Sid, the apparitions that have been haunting this world are known as Witches, and these Witches create weaker versions known as Familiars. Eventually, one of the Familiars will drift on its own. And if left unchecked, it will eventually evolve into another version of the original Witch it deviated from._

_The only ones before Kairi and I arrived in this world that can stop these Witches are called Magical Girls. I know it sounds weird but if that is how this world works, so be it. These Magical Girls use something called a Soul Gem, which houses their magical power. They use this power to hunt down Witches and destroy them before they can kill any innocent bystanders._

_Apparently the Witches kill people by making them commit murder or suicide. By killing the innocent in this manner, it is no wonder that not many people are aware of their existence. If this is the case, then finding them could become easier. If I can track down incidents that have unusual circumstances, perhaps I might find at least a Familiar, if not a Witch._

_Already there is a connection between Witches and Magical Girls. The bizarre items I have been picking up after defeating a Witch are known as Grief Seeds. Magical Girls use these to purify their Soul Gems that become tainted by using their magic. It seems their survival is based on fighting these Witches. Therefore, I will collect as many Grief Seeds as possible and distribute them to any Magical Girls I will encounter. Only seems fair, because I have no need for them._

_Yet there is something still troubling me about this whole situation. According to Kairi, Magical Girls are born of wishes, while Witches are born out of curses. So does that mean when one person curses another, a Witch is born? If that is the case, then wouldn't this phenomenon exist in all worlds, rather than just this one? There is something here that doesn't belong. But for now, I will continue my investigations outside of Mitakihara City, while Kairi continues her investigation within its limits._

* * *

**Author's Note: So ends another chapter. I will be starting my final semester in college, and I expect a lot of papers for me to write. So the next chapter will be up in several weeks at the latest.**

**I hope all of you are enjoying this.**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: I'M WILLING TO BELIEVE YOU

"I know it's around here, somewhere," Kairi says as she wonders through a familiar alley. The sky is clear, and the sun is shining bright. Kairi continues looking around. After a minute, Kairi smiles, "There it is." She finds a blue gem between two buildings. Kairi kneels down in order to touch it. With a simple tap the gem glows.

Seconds later, a familiar projection pops out, "Welcome, how can I help you today, kupo?"

"Hi there, Mog," Kairi says with a smile.

"Oh, I didn't expect to see you again so soon. So what do need today, kupo?"

"You wouldn't happen to have any magical staffs now would you?"

"I have plenty, anything in particular, kupo?"

Kairi hums as she brings a finger to her chin while looking up. It didn't take her long to describe what she needs, "I'm looking something for an absolute beginner. But she has great potential , so something that can help her tap into that potential easily."

"Hmm…I think I have something like that, kupo." The Moogle raises an arm and a holographic screen appears and shows Kairi a unique staff.

The length is similar to the Dream Wand. This one however is a silver rod, and on top of that rod is a yellow sphere with a smiley face. Kairi giggles at it. After looking at it for a few seconds she nods with a smile, "I'll take it, how much is it?"

"That'll be ten thousand Munny, kupo."

Nothing is said for a few seconds, "I'm sorry, how much was it again?" she said with a disbelieving expression.

"Ten thousand Munny, kupo!" the seller immediately responds.

Kairi sighs after a few seconds pass, "Fine. Don't have much of a choice," She hands out a ten thousand yen bill, and just like yesterday, the Moogle turns the bill into Munny, which goes into the gem. Immediately, the staff appears in front of Kairi in a flash of light. Kairi grabs hold of it and the staff turns into light before disappearing. "Thanks,"

"No problem. By the way, are you from this world, kupo?"

"No, I'm here on important business. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was talking with some of my buddies yesterday about how I finally have a customer in this world and one of them told me an interesting rumor, kupo."

"A rumor?"

"Yep, word is that there's a strange creature in the world you're in. Turns out he's from a different world, kupo."

Kairi's eyes widen, "Wait, are you sure?"

"That's what the rumor says, kupo."

"I see. Thanks for telling me about it. I'll probably might drop in again,"

Mog nods before waving, "Have a good day, kupo," the projection disappears before Kairi walks away.

* * *

School is now out. Madoka sits on the side of a green hill, looking at the river at the foot of the hill. Next to her, Sayaka feels relaxed as she is lying a few feet from Madoka. "Aren't you scared," Madoka asks, looking at her friend.

"Well", Sayaka says before standing up, "I'll be lying if I said I wasn't." She looks at the pinkette with a confident smile, "But there shouldn't be anything to worry about. With me, Mami, and Kairi here, those Witches will think twice of coming to Mitakahira!"

"But aren't you all going to take different routes?" Madoka asks, recalling the conversation they had with Mami and Kairi the night before. They discussed that the three of them will spread out throughout the city during Witch hunts. The only one who originally opposed the plan was Kairi for she felt it is best they stick together. However, since Madoka woke up this morning, she feels that Kairi may had a point.

"Don't worry. Mami is a veteran and Kairi is a pretty strong fighter, though she can be a little crazy," she said the last part with a sheepish smile, remembering how Kairi jumped straight into that one Witch's mouth.

"Who's crazy?" a voice calls from behind with an offended tone.

Sayaka jumps, before turning around, "Sheesh, don't scare me like that," she said with an embarrassed blush as she looks at Kairi, who is giving an 'innocent' smile.

"Sorry about that," Kairi says before peeking her head to the side to see Madoka. "Hey Madoka."

"Hi Kairi," Madoka responds cheerfully, before noticing that Kairi wants to ask her something. "What is it?"

"Do you have some free time? There's something I want to show you."

"Well," Madoka says before slightly looking to her left, "I don't have any plans for today."

"Great! How about we go right now?" Kairi asks in an upbeat tone.

"Umm…Sure!" She answers with a nod.

"Hey, what about me?" Sayaka asks.

Kairi looks at her sheepishly, "Sorry, it's just Madoka I want to have a talk with. Besides don't you have something planned for a certain someone?" She asks with a teasing tone.

Sayaka looks at her with a blush, "It's not a date!"

"Don't worry, just kidding with you," Kairi says with a dismissive wave. "Could you do me a favor though?"

"What is it?" she asks with a curious tone.

"Can you drop by Mami's apartment and tell her that I probably might not go to the meeting later today?

"I guess…"

"Thanks," Kairi said before she walks to Madoka and grabs her wrist, "Come on, let's go!" And with that Kairi drags Madoka to the place Kairi wants to show her.

* * *

"Uhh…" Madoka starts to say, "Where are we?" They are now in a fenced in location near a construction area. In the middle of the area, there are a few small logs, standing upright, with empty cans on them. There are also a bunch of rocks, and the ground appears dry and rough.

"The perfect place for practice," said Kairi, hands on her hips.

"Practice?" Madoka asks with a confused expression, "Practice for what?"

Kairi turns to her with a smile. "Magic," she says with a wave of a finger as she winks.

"Magic!?" Madoka is astonished by what Kairi said. "But I'm not a Magical Girl."

Kairi still smiles before leaning forward to look at Madoka at eye level, "Let me tell you a little secret. Truth is I use a different kind of magic than the type Magical Girls use."

"A different type?" Madoka asks with wide eyes.

Kairi nods before straightening herself out. She summons the Keyblade and raises it horizontally, "This is my real power," referencing to her weapon, implying that this is her power as a 'Magical Girl'. "The magic I use can be learned if you have magical potential. And from what I heard from Mami, you have a lot of potential, so I figure why not we tap into that potential."

"You can really teach me magic?" Madoka says with a wide, hopeful smile. If she can learn magic, then she wouldn't be a bother to the others.

"You bet," Kairi answers as she dismisses her weapon. "However, there are going to be a few conditions if I'm going to teach you."

"What conditions?" Madoka asks, slightly tilting her head.

"One," Kairi says, holding up one finger, "You can't tell anyone that I'm teaching you magic."

"No one?" Madoka responds for clarification.

"Yes, no one," Kairi says with a stern voice, "especially Kyubey. This whole thing will just be between me and you; understand?" Madoka nods. Kairi holds up two fingers, "Two, Do not use this magic for Witch Hunting. Even if you can use magic, it'll be useless since you can easily get knocked out or worse," Madoka nods, even if she can use magic, she is really not up to going against a Witch alone, "Third, I want you to make me a promise."

"Promise?" Madoka questions.

Kairi nods with a serious face, before leaning forward. "I want you to promise me one thing."

"What is it?" Madoka says bringing her hands to her chest.

"Do not, under any circumstances, make a contract with Kyubey."

#SIS PUELLA MAGICA#

Madoka was taken aback by what Kairi just said, "What…Why?" is all she could say. She can't believe what Kairi is saying.

"Trust me. If you make a contract with Kyubey, you'll lose more than you'll gain."

"What are you saying?"

Kairi closes her eyes. She needs Madoka to understand. She is not going to say anything about how a girl's soul becomes trapped in the Soul Gem. "Kyubey, I know that he can grant miracles. But are they truly miracles?" Madoka simply stares at Kairi, "If you truly wish for a miracle, something that you want to happen but is deemed nearly impossible; don't just wait for something to happen." Kairi looks at Madoka in the eyes, the latter now as Kairi's undivided attention, "The only thing you can do is walk forward. If you keep going forward, as long as you don't give in, and keep your eyes towards the miracle you seek. Then one day, you will find it."

"But what about you? I mean, you made your wish so you can help your friends, right?" Madoka asks.

Kairi gives a small smile before looking to the side, "Remember what I said about my friends." Madoka nods. "One time, one of them was willing to make a sacrifice in order to help me. I thought…I would lose that person. I just couldn't let that person go." Kairi closes her hands, clenching them tightly.

"You mean…" Madoka said, holding her breath.

"No, he's still alive. That's because I never gave up on him. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here now."

"Him?" Madoka asks. She always thought that the friends Kairi want to help are girls.

Kairi nods before she looks up to Madoka, "Tell me, are you willing to sacrifice yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you willing to make a sacrifice in order to help others? At first it seems like a noble act. But… do you also want to inflict pain on others?" Madoka holds her breath, starting to get a sense of where Kairi is going with this. "Do you want your friends or even your family to be sad? Sad that they'll never see you smile again?" Kairi grabs Madoka's hands between hers, "Sad that they'll never feel the warmth of your hands again?"

Madoka looks down. Though she wants to help others, if it means that it can hurt others as well, how can she go on knowing that? Madoka looks up with solemn face, "I understand. I promise… I won't make the contract."

Kairi nods with an appreciative smile before straightening herself up, "Remember, do not say anything about this. Whatever happens here, stays here, understand?" Madoka nods with a determined smile.

"Okay then!" Kairi said with an upbeat attitude. Kairi raises a hand and calls out the staff she purchased. She extends the staff to Madoka, "Here," Kairi says and Madoka grasps it with both hands before bringing the rod towards her.

"Is this is a magical staff?" she says with astonishment as she examines it.

"That's right."

"Where did you find it?"

Kairi raises a finger in front of her face, "Let's just say I know a market or two that deals with this sort of thing." Kairi sits on the ground in a cross-legged position. She looks up at Madoka, who is confused. Seconds later, she understands Kairi's gesture before sitting in the rough ground in the same manner. Kairi tells Madoka to hold the staff near the two ends hand have it rest on her legs. "Now imagine a river."

"A river?"

Kairi nods, "Close your eyes and imagine a river that ebbs and flows without restriction," The student closes her eyes. After a few seconds, the teacher can see that Madoka has a calm face, "Now imagine that river flowing through your entire being. But don't let yourself be carried away by it." Madoka nods before following the instructions. Two minutes have passed. Madoka looks calm, relaxed. She has been like that the entire time. It wasn't long before Kairi notices something about Madoka. A thin aura outlines her body along with the staff. Just as the aura disappears, Madoka snaps her eyes open with a small gasp. "You felt it. Didn't you?"

Madoka nods, "I…I can't describe how it felt."

"But you know how it felt, right?" Kairi asks and Madoka nods her head with a smile. They continued this practice for another fifteen minutes.

"Now then," Kairi said as she stands up, quickly followed by Madoka. "Here's your first spell." Kairi summons the Keyblade. She aims it at one of the cans in the middle before casting Fire. The small fireball makes a soft explosion, knocking the can thirty feet away. Kairi looks at Madoka, "Now think about taking a small amount of that river, transform it into fire. And when you think you're ready, focus that energy into the staff, pick out any one of those cans, then as you swing the staff towards the target, mentally release that fire. Think you got all that?" Madoka nods with a determined smile. She aims for the can on the far right as she does everything that Kairi told her do to. Madoka, with both hands, raises the staff above her head.

A few seconds later, a large explosion occurs. Catching the attention of several workers of the nearby construction site. Back in the practice area, both Kairi and Madoka have astonished faces as they stare into the plume of black smoke. "Oops." Madoka is all she could say.

"Well, that was… something." Kairi said. Nothing is said for another few seconds before Kairi looks at her student, "How about we get out of here?" Madoka nods, still staring at the explosion she created.

* * *

The sun begins to set into the horizon, casting the city into twilight. "I'm sorry," Madoka says, looking towards the ground, as she and Kairi walk back to the others.

"No, it's not your fault," Kairi says with an encouraging, yet sheepish smile. "You just need to put less power into those spells." Kairi is amazed with Madoka's potential. Kairi knew that Madoka casted Fire, yet the explosion was like a bomb went off. Kairi notices Madoka looking a little tired. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but I feel a little funny," says with a weak smile.

"You're just probably drained from casting that spell. When casting magic, don't put a lot of power into it. You need to use it sparingly." Kairi takes out an ether out of her pocket. "Drink this," she says as she gives it to Madoka.

After Madoka drinks it, the feeling she had vanished almost immediately, "What is this?" she asks with a curious tone.

"That's an ether. When you drink it, it restores your magical power,"

"Then can Mami and Sayaka use these as well?"

Kairi gives Madoka a sad smile, "Remember how I said that the magic I use is different from the magic that Magical Girls use," Madoka nods with curious eyes, "I don't know if it will work. From what I've seen, a Grief Seed absorbs those dark specks from a Soul Gem. Meaning those specks may act as a form of limitation to their magic. So I don't think that it could work."

"I see," Madoka responds with a frown. "It would have been very useful if the others can use them."

"I agree." Kairi says as she looks forward she notices someone. "Homura," she says as she stops. Madoka looks to the direction Kairi is looking at. Ahead of them, on the other side of the street, Homura is seen looking at them with her passive gaze.

* * *

"So, that's her, huh" said a girl looking through a pair of magical binoculars from inside an observation deck at the top of a tall building. The girl has red hair, tied in a pony tail. She wears a blue, long sleeved shirt, blue denim shorts, and knee high boots. She is looking towards a hospital, spying on the newest Magical Girl.

"Correct, Kyoko," Kyubey said behind her, who is now chomping on a crisp waffle. "Are you really going to fight her?" the creature asks, tilting its head.

"Why not? Looks like an easy win," Kyoko says dismissing the binoculars, as she turns around. "If she really is friends with Mami, then taking her out should give Mami the message." She smirks at the creature, "What? Got a problem with that?"

"It might not be that easy. Other than Mami, there are two more Magical Girls."

"Really, so who are they?"

"In truth, I am not sure of both of them. I could best describe them as anomalies."

"Huh?" Kyoko stares at Kyubey with a disbelieving expression, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, Homura is clearly a Magical Girl, so she must have made a contract. However, I have no recollection of making a contract with her. As for the other one, Kairi, she is even more of an anomaly. Again I don't have recollecting a contract with her. Not only that, she is able to use more than one type of magic."

"What do you mean?"

"Most Magical Girls' magic are solely focused on a certain theme or element, depending on the wish. However, Kairi has magic of both fire and ice. On top of that, not once I have seen her transform, though the clothes she wears all the time resembles those that a Magical Girl would wear."

"Doesn't matter," she says cockily, "I'm pretty sure I can take care of either of them,"

"By the way, I'm just curious. What brings you all the way here to Mitakahira?"

Kyoko hesitates before turning to the side, "I have been having problems with my territory. Besides, ever since you told me that Mami nearly lost her head, literally, I've been thinking that she is not worthy of the prey here." The girl's smile grows wider after she finished eating her waffle, "With all these Magical Girls fighting in the same territory, this looks like the best place to have some fun."

* * *

**_Meanwhile…_**

Kairi and Madoka are talking with Homura at a café near where they saw each other. The two friends sit across from the mysterious girl.

"So, in short, you want me to join you?" Homura says in her usual, cold tone.

"That's right," Kairi responds, "Right now there are four Magical Girls, in this city. So if we do our hunts in pairs, we can take out more Witches, meaning more Grief Seeds for everyone."

"There is one flaw with that plan," Homura states, "If we were to only find one Witch, then who will get the Grief Seed, after the hunt is over?"

"Well," Kairi says, trying to find a counterargument.

"Another problem arises. Though we can pick up more Grief Seeds, it will eventually lead to fewer Witches for us to hunt. If we follow your plan exactly, I fear that there won't be any Witches left for us to hunt and we may have to move to another city before a new Witch can come here."

Kairi sighs, Homura does raise a good point. Kairi wants to counter it but she can't do that without revealing who she truly is. Madoka speaks up, "Well, what if everyone take turns. Surely then there would be enough for everyone."

"That's a possibility. However, I doubt Mami and Sayaka will approve, due to their belief in how Magical Girls should be 'messengers of justice.'" Now Madoka is the one that can't find a counterargument.

"Still, I should apologize,"

"What do you mean?" Madoka asks curiously.

"I thought that since you have given up being a Magical Girl, Kyubey would leave. I should have kept a closer eye on Sayaka, however."

"But Mami's here, so surely she will be okay." Madoka says hopefully.

"Perhaps. However, there is one thing. Anyone who makes a contract with Kyubey, their fate is already sealed. And Sayaka is no exception." Homura gets up, "I'm sorry that I wasted your time," she says before leaving for the doors.

Kairi however has not given up. She turns to Madoka with a smile as she places money on the table, "I'm going to on ahead."

"Where are you going?"

"I'll see if I can convince Homura to join us." Kairi winks at the pinkette, "Tell the others that I'll be patrolling as well. And remember to keep 'that' a secret." The pinkette nods with a smile before Kairi heads out.

* * *

It didn't take long for Kairi to catch up, "Homura, wait up!" The said girl stops to look behind her shoulder. Kairi slows to a stop.

"I thought I told you my answer," Homura coldly states.

"Just hear me out," Kairi responds. "I know you want to do things on your own. But it can be easier with working alongside others."

"Why?" Homura states before pausing. "In the end, everyone will die in the end."

Kairi holds her breath, wondering if Homura is no stranger to death. "How many Magical Girls have you seen died in front of you?"

"Too many to count,"

"I see…Even so, you shouldn't give up on everyone else that's still alive."

"It hardly matters. I have no reason to work alongside with anyone again," Homura says before walking forward.

"Is it because no one believes you?" Kairi says in a soft tone. The black-haired girl stops with a small gasp, eyes slightly widened. "If it means anything…I'm willing to believe you."

Homura slowly turns her head, eyes showing a hint of emotion, "What?" she asks with a hint of hope.

Kairi sympathetically smiles, "I believe you. Besides, we're the only ones that know about what happens to the souls of Magical Girls. So it's up to us, to keep an eye out for the others, especially Madoka. So how about it?" Kairi extends a hand to Homura.

Homura slowly turns around, her gaze still fixed on Kairi. Slowly she extends her own hand. Just as her hand is above Kairi's, she hesitates before withdrawing it. Kairi's eyes widen before Homura regains her composer with a deep breath. Homura stares at Kairi, "I understand what you are saying. But know this, what I want is completely different from what you're seeking. And if I'm to achieve my goal, I must do this alone." Homura turns back around before walking forward again.

*TREASURED MEMORIES*

"You remind me of him…" Kairi mutters out with a smile.

Homura is able to catch what Kairi said. "What?" she says as turns back with curious, yet cold eyes.

"A friend of mine," Kairi says, looking at the ground, arms behind her back, before looking back up. "He tried to do everything all by himself," Kairi says as she walks past Homura before stopping. Homura not leaving her eyes on Kairi. "He… made some mistakes. And thought that if he tried to rectify those mistakes all by himself, no matter the price, then everything will turn alright. He was even willing to live in a place where no one could see him again. Nor will he be able to see me or the rest of his friends again. But a friend of ours, convinced him that he doesn't have to do things all alone." As Kairi continues her story, excluding the names of her friends, the enemies they faced, and the fact of other worlds, Homura can't comprehend what's happening to her. She understands what Kairi is saying and with each word Kairi speaks, something inside of Homura is changing. A feeling she hasn't felt since she began her mission, a rising feeling of hope. Somehow, she feels that she can tell Kairi everything, the one person here who is willing to believe her. Kairi turns around, "As you can see, it's better if we work together," Kairi finishes as she extends her hand to Homura once more.

Homura slowly extends her hand, hesitating at first. Eventually, her hand is wrapped by Kairi's. Kairi softly smiles as Homura's eyes glimmer with hope. After a few seconds, both girls slowly take back their hands. Homura looks down, closing her eyes. A second later she looks back up to Kairi, "You'll truly believe anything I say?" Kairi nods with a smile. "What would you like to know?"

Kairi's expression turns serious, "Kyubey. What is he exactly?"

Homura closes her eyes for a few seconds, regaining her composure, "Kyubey," she says in a calm tone, "is a being known as an Incubator."

"Incubator…" Kairi mutters. "Is Kyubey from around here?"

Homura shakes her head, "Kyubey… is not from this world."

Kairi's eyes tighten, "You mean… he's from a different world?" Homura answers with a nod. "Then, why is Kyubey here?"

"Have you heard of entropy?"

"I've heard of it before," bringing a hand to her chin gazing towards the ground, "Isn't that the possibility where the universe runs out of energy and dies?"

Homura nods. "Kyubey is here to collect a type of energy that can be used to prevent entropy."

"And what is this energy?" Kairi asks after looking back up.

Nothing is said for a few seconds, "Kyubey gathers this energy when Magical Girls fight against Witches and through Grief Seeds. When a Magical Girl purifies her Soul Gem with a Grief Seed, if the Grief Seed does not have any more uses, it is given to Kyubey. If the Grief Seed is not given to him in time, the Witch that contained it will eventually return."

"And Witches? Where do they come from exactly?"

Homura eyes narrow with a sound of disgust, clenching her teeth. Kairi's eyes narrow to this reacation. "If you truly want to know the answer to that," Homura says, "Then you have to discover it for yourself." Kairi's eyes widen in confusion. "But I should warn you. If you do find out, your views on everything in this world will never be the same."

"That bad, huh?" Kairi says in a calm, yet serious tone. Kairi may not understand Homura's reasoning for not telling her. But based on the warning, the birth of a Witch must involve something terrible to occur. After taking in a small breath, she softly smiles at Homura. "Thanks for telling me, so should we hunt together tonight?"

"I'll cooperate with you and the others only in one condition," Homura says before glaring at Kairi. "Madoka must never make the contract. If she does, I'll finish you off personally."

Kairi smiles, though she is slightly scared of Homura's threat. But Kairi smiles because she understands Homura better. "Deal," Kairi says with a nod. Kairi place her arms behind her, "Well, your lead." Homura nods before the two begin their hunt.

* * *

#SALVE, TERRAE MAGICAE#

As the sky continues to glow with a golden hue, Homura and Kairi walk along the main streets. Homura has her violet Soul Gem out in her hand, while Kairi walks behind her. After awhile, the Soul Gem glows and the two notice it. They walk into a nearby alley. After five minutes, navigating through the maze of alleys, Kairi senses something ahead. _It's coming…_ Kairi wonders. A black wave washes over them from the front and the scenery immediately turns into someplace reminiscent of a nursery room. Haggling laughter fills the air, as a girl's head coming out of a propeller plane flies towards them. "I'm guessing that's a deviated Familiar," Kairi says. The amount of darkness she senses from it is not strong as a Witch.

"Correct," Homura says.

"If we can stop it here, it won't kill anyone," Kairi states.

"But it won't produce a Grief Seed,"

"You may be interested in them," Kairi says, looking at Homura with a disapproving expression, "but I'm more concerned about the people it can attack."

"Relax, as I said before; I'll cooperate." Homura's shield glows before clicking. The next moment later Homura appears behind the Familiar, facing the direction the target came from. At that same moment, five gunshots ring out. At that time the Familiar spins out of control, going down. Homura flips her hair before looking at Kairi, "Now," she says with a tone just shy of commanding.

"Right." Kairi states, summons her Keyblade. She crouches forward before jumping at the falling Familiar at high speed. Kairi slashes through her target. Moments later, the Familiar explodes into dust. A second later, Kairi descends towards the ground. The moment she touches the ground, the barrier disappears. Kairi dismisses her Keyblade, "That was quick."

Homura studies Kairi for a few seconds, "I'm curious," Homura says, catching Kairi's attention. "What kind of weapon is that?"

"My weapon," Kairi responds with a hesitant tone. She has answers for certain questions, but this is one she hasn't prepared for. She is hoping that since the Keyblade is truly a unique weapon, no one would ask about it since she uses it as a sword. Not only that, she can't just talk about the Keyblade in the open. "Well…" Kairi starts before a gunshot goes off. She looks towards her right as Homura looks in the same direction. The girls look at each other before nodding. Homura turns around, taking the lead with Kairi right behind her.

* * *

_Riku's Log 3_

_I made contact with Yen Sid for what I will make the last time. It is not that I am deviating from my mission, but as a means of precaution. Kairi and I are both Keyblade Wielders and having two Keyblade Wielders in the same world would arouse suspicion. Our enemies, namely Master Xehanort, would eventually catch wind of our investigation in this world. By breaking my contact with Yen Sid, hopefully less information will be leaked to our adversaries and best case scenario: our activities here will not be noticed._

_During my final conversation with Yen Sid for the time being, I was given some disturbing details. As I mentioned in my earlier logs, Witches haunt this world, preying on innocent people, are hunted down by Magical Girls in order to prevent them from doing any damage. Magical Girls are created when an ordinary girl makes a contract with a creature simply known as Kyubey. The contract is fairly simple, the girl makes a wish, Kyubey grants that wish, and in turn transforms them into a Magical Girl, to hunt down Witches. _

_Normally, this wouldn't sound like a bad deal. However, Kairi found out that the real price of the wish is not to hunt down Witches as a Magical Girl. The true price is actually the girl's soul. I won't go into details of Kyubey's reasoning of this price; only that the soul is transferred to the item known as a Soul Gem, thus giving its name. Apparently Kyubey does not mention this part of the contract. The first reaction I have is "Why?" Why hide this detail? More than likely, if the girls knew about this fine detail, they would not make the contract._

_I admit that I am already suspicious of this character. However, based on my investigations regarding to the records of unusual murders, suicides, or even attempts of these incidents, these Witches have been existing far longer than me or anyone else I know. And if this Kyubey has been around since the Witches have first appeared in this world, is he here as a means of counter offensive against the Witches? Or has he been around longer than them? Either way, I doubt this Kyubey is the "great disturbance" Yen Sid sent us to investigate. Yet, I believe Kyubey holds the key to this mystery. However, I will leave this to Kairi. I have a feeling that she is closer to our main objective than I am._

* * *

**Author's Note: Another chapter done.**

**To answer someone's question regarding about Kairi sensing Witches and Sayaka's heart.**

**As a Princess of Heart, Kairi is able to sense darkness in general. Witches themselves, I perceive, are entities of darkness themselves, similar to Heartless. **

**As with Sayaka's heart, Kairi doesn't literally hear Sayaka's heart "weeping", she just senses something happened to it. In this case, the heart getting separated from the soul.**

**I hope this clarifies that question.**

**Don't know when I'll post the next chapter, since I'll be busy reading and writing for school.**

**Until then, I hope all of you are enjoying this.**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: THERE'S NO REASON TO FIGHT**

"It's over," Kyoko states, standing on a segment of her chained spear, sneering down at Sayaka, who is lying on the ground trying to get up.

Madoka, standing behind a barrier of red chains, looks on with horror. "Madoka," Kyubey, standing next to her feet, calls out to her. "If you want to stop this fight, then make a contract."

At the moment Madoka is actually considering it. If she becomes a Magical Girl, she can stop this senseless fight. "I…" she mutters out before a recent memory clicks on.

_Do not, under any circumstances, make a contract with Kyubey... _

Kairi's words echoed in Madoka's mind. Madoka made that promise in exchange of Kairi teaching her magic. The reason why Madoka hasn't done anything about this situation is because she was told to keep it a secret and the fact that she gave back the staff at Kairi's request just after the two left the scene of the accident. _Then what should I do…_ Madoka wonders frantically.

Kyoko jumps up, her spear takes its original shape before she dives in for the kill. Just before Sayaka gets impaled, a gunshot goes off. Something hits Kyoko and in a matter of seconds gets tied up by several ribbons that leaves her hanging in the air, the ribbons suspending her from the walls. At that time, Kyoko's barrier disappears and footsteps can be heard. Madoka and Sayaka turn around. Madoka smiles as she sees Mami walking towards them, with a musket aimed at the red-head.

Mami stops next to Sayaka before helping her get up on her feet. Mami looks up at the attacker. "Hello, Kyoko," she says, still wearing her displeased smile. Kyoko makes a sound of annoyance, looking to the side. Nothing is said for a while before Mami breaks the silence, "What exactly are you doing here?"

Nothing is said for a minute as Kyoko glares down at Mami. "Fine, I'll tell you if you release me right now." Mami takes those words into consideration. After a minute, she closes her eyes, leveling her head. At that moment, the ribbons slowly disappear, allowing Kyoko to get her feet on the ground. Mami looks at Kyoko, waiting for what she has to say. "I came here because I heard from Kyubey that you almost became a snack to a Witch. Since you can't handle one Witch in your territory, who's to say you can handle any Witch here at all?"

"Hey!" Sayaka shouts back for having her friend being called weak. "Mami here is a veteran Magical Girl, and one of the best!'

Kyoko sneers "So what, so am I. And since I'm here I think I'll stick around for awhile." Kyoko turns her attention to Mami, "Just do me a favor and leave the Familiars alone. That way there will be enough Grief Seeds for later."

Mami's eyes narrow close to a glare, "Is that why you attacked Sayaka?"

"I just want to see how tough the new girl is. And I must say, I'm unimpressed."

"What!" Sayaka cries out angrily.

"I'll give you a warning, if I see you go after a Familiar again. You can rest assured that I'll teach you an even harder lesson." Kyoko uses her spear to propel herself towards the sky, bouncing off the walls and onto the rooftops.

Silence wraps around the girls. Madoka gives a deep sigh of relief before turning to Mami "Thank goodness, you got here in time." Mami looks at Madoka with a smile

"Just who was that girl, anyway?" Sayaka asks; anger evident in her voice.

"Well…" Mami starts to say before someone else calls out.

"Sayaka, Mami, Madoka!" Kairi calls out to them. The girls look forward and are surprised by the sight. Next to Kairi is the mysterious girl, Homura, wearing her usual passive gaze.

"Why is she here, Kairi?" Sayaka says in a displeased tone, narrowing her eyes.

"Let's just say we made an agreement," Kairi said with a smile. "As long as I hold up my end, Homura is willing to work with us."

"And what is it that you agreed to?" Mami asks, seeming to be on guard.

Before Kairi can say anything, Homura states, "It is nothing to concern yourself with. But rest assured, no harm will come to any of you if that is what you wish to know."

Nothing is said for a while. Kairi walks up to the others, "It's okay. If something goes wrong, then I'll take responsibility. Besides," Kairi turns her head around, looking at Homura, "I trust her." Kairi looks back at her friends, "Just give her a chance."

Sayaka and Mami stare at Homura for a few seconds. "Why don't you do it?" Madoka asks encouragingly, getting Sayaka and Mami's attention. "I mean, it would be nice if everyone can work together."

Sayaka looks back at Homura. After a few seconds, she sighs, "Fine. But if you try anything," directing her voice at the mysterious girl, "I won't hold anything back." Mami nods in agreement to Sayaka's words.

"Understood." Homura answers in her usual monotone voice.

"Now that's taken care of," Kairi says optimistically, "how about we head to Mami's place?"

"I said I would cooperate with you," Homura says before walking forward. "That does not mean I have any intention of befriending any of you," she says after walking past everyone.

"Rude," Sayaka pouts after the girls no longer see the raven-haired girl.

"Just give her time," Kairi says looking in the direction Homura went, "I'm sure she'll come around eventually." Kairi walks in that same direction. Madoka nods to Kairi's statement before following her, Sayaka and Mami not far behind.

"Just who are you, Kairi?" Kyubey asks to himself with a curious tilt of the head, before following the girls.

* * *

**_Mami's Apartment_**

"Wow," Kairi says after she finished chewing a piece of her cake, "You know how to make the best desserts." She and the other girls are sitting around the table, with a piece strawberry shortcake in front of each one. Kyubey is enjoying a cake of his own in the center of the table. "You should open your own bakery in the future."

"You really think so?" Mami asks with a curious smile.

"Definitely!" Kairi said before eating another piece of her treat.

Nothing is said for the next minute. Sayaka looks at Mami, "So who was that girl anyway?" Kairi was already told of what happened while they were waiting for Mami to bake the sweet treat, her attention also falls onto Mami, curious of this new girl that attacked Sayaka earlier.

Mami was about to eat another piece of her cake, but stops as she looks at Sayaka. "Her name is Kyoko Sakura. I first met her sometime after I became a Magical Girl. It wasn't long before we decided to work together."

"Wait…" Sayaka says, processing what she just heard, "You mean that the two of you are partners?"

Mami looks down with a sad smile, "We were, but something happened to Kyoko and since then she only cared about herself, thus ending our partnership."

"I still can't believe that the two of you worked together," Sayaka says incredulously.

"Do you know why?" Kairi inquires.

"You have to ask Kyoko about that," Mami answers softly. Nothing serious is discussed after that.

* * *

The sun is shining high in the sky for another day in Mitakahira City. Kairi is jumping from one building to another, along a main street. Whenever she runs into a building far taller than the one she's on, she takes a slight detour by jumping on the rooftops of the buildings surrounding it. After about a half hour, Kairi stops on a building with a large rooftop, with a small block that she sits on. She looks up to the sky, catching sight of several birds flying over her. She gives a small smile, _I wonder how Sora and Riku are doing. Knowing Sora, I'm sure he'll try to find a way to help Sayaka and the others if he was here. Though, I'm a little worried about Riku. Yen Sid hasn't heard anything from him lately._ Kairi's smile grows before standing up, _What am I talking about? I'm sure he's just fine._

Kairi walks forward. Before she can run to gain momentum to jump on the next building, someone calls out to her, "Where do you think you're going?"

Kairi turns around, seeing a certain red-headed girl wielding a spear. "You're Kyoko, right?" Kairi asks with slight tension.

Kyoko smirks, "Let me guess, Mami told you about me?"

"She mentioned that you and Mami were partners once."

Kyoko's smirk disappears, "And…your point is?"

"I just would like to know what happened. Of course, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

"You're right, I don't have to," Kyoko says with an arrogant grin before she bites into an hamburger she has in her hand. "Though, it's only fair that I know your name."

"Kairi."

Kyoko hums for a bit before biting into her hamburger. "So you're the anomaly that can use fire and ice"

"What do you mean by anomaly?" Kairi asks, her eyes tightening.

"That's what Kyubey says about you. See, it's a little strange that a Magical Girl knows two types of magic; especially if their opposite elements." Kyoko eats up the rest of her food, "But that's a minor detail. There's only one thing I'm curious about."

"And what would that be?"

Kyoko looks at her with a straight face, "What was your wish?"

"My wish…" Kairi said closing her eyes, "is to be able to help my friends," she finishes as she opens them.

Kyoko makes a sound of amusement, "So you wish that you can help your friends? I suppose that's an okay wish."

"What do you mean?"

"Basically you made a wish to help someone else, but the focus of your wish is yourself. So I'll let you slide on that one."

Kairi's eyes narrow, having an idea of what Kyoko is implying, "Let me guess, you made a wish for yourself."

Kyoko is taken back by Kairi's response. Her surprise didn't last long as she looks down on the ground, "If only I made such a wish…" she mutters.

"What?" Kairi asks, she couldn't make out what Kyoko said.

"Nothing important," Kyoko says as she looks back up. "However," she says with an arrogant smirk. She twirls her spear around before pointing it at Kairi in a thrust ready position. "I think that there are too many Magical Girls here."

Kairi stares at Kyoko, who is waiting for Kairi to get ready. To Kyoko's surprise, Kairi turns around. "There's no reason to fight," Kairi states. "If we are done talking, then I'll take my leave." Kairi says before walking forward. Just as Kairi is about to reach the edge, red chains sprout from the edge and encircle the rooftop in a ten foot wall. "What are you doing?" Kairi asks as she looks back.

*FACE IT*

"You may not need a reason to fight," Kyoko says with a smirk, "If that's the case, you can just disappear!" Kyoko launches forward as she exclaims the last word. Kairi barely summons the Keyblade to block the attack in time. Kyoko makes a sound of amusement, "I thought you're not going to fight." Kairi grunts in response. After a few seconds, Kairi manages to push her assailant back. Kyoko hops backs two times, leaving a sizeable distance between them.

Kairi simply stares at Kyoko, "Please, let me go. A fight between us is pointless."

"If I take you out now, I'm sure I'll benefit in the long run." Kyoko charges in with a smirk. Kairi stands her ground as Kyoko draws closer. Each time Kyoko swings her spear, Kairi parries. Each time their weapons impact against one another, a shower of sparks fall into the ground. Kyoko is starting to get annoyed, so far Kairi has done nothing but defend herself. Kyoko manages to break through Kairi's guard and goes in for a thrust, but Kairi cartwheels out of harm's way. Kyoko immediately swings her spear towards Kairi after the thrust. Kairi jumps with a backflip, both avoiding the spear and putting some distance between them. "Come on! Is that all your good at, running away?"

"Like I said before, I have no reason to fight you!" Kairi pleads.

"Of course you do," Kyoko says with a smirk. With a snap of her fingers, she conjures a new barrier behind Kairi and to her sides, surprising her and preventing her from escaping. "You'll die if you don't fight." Kyoko jumps up high before diving at the Keyblade wielder.

_Looks like I have no choice_… Kairi thinks before pointing her Keyblade towards the sky, "Thunder!" she cries out. In response, a bolt of lightning slams into Kyoko causing her to falter and crash into the floor. The barrier surrounding Kairi disappears almost immediately.

Kyoko struggles to get up, her body paralyzed by Kairi's spell. _Fire, ice, and LIGHNTNING!? _Kyoko thought in frustration.

"Just let me go," Kairi asks sternly; the main barrier has not disappeared yet. "There's no reason to continue to fight."

"Shut up!" Kyoko yells back before standing up. "I'm going to finish you off right here!" Kyoko's spear breaks into multiple parts, the chains twisting and turning around Kyoko, who now stands on a segment that's thrust into the ground. The spear has a snake-like shape, the spear's tip hovering above Kyoko, aiming down at Kairi. Though she prefers not to use this technique on her current opponent, but with this she can find some protection from Kairi's spells including Thunder.

"This has gone on long enough," Kairi quietly mutters. Kyoko jumps from her perch and commands her weapon to pierce through Kairi. Time seems to slow down for both combatants as Kairi raises her Keyblade to the sky. Kyoko smirks when her spear is just about to impale her target. But at that time, Kairi's Keyblade is in position. "Stop!" she cries out.

The next moment, Kyoko's eyes go wide as Kairi instantly disappears. Kyoko's spear impacts the ground before her entire weapon shatters. At that moment, Kyoko feels two strong blows; one to her stomach, and the other to her back. She crashes into the ground, the main barrier disappearing at that moment. Kyoko tries to get up, before stopping at the sight of Kairi's weapon next to the side of her face. She peeks behind her, seeing Kairi holding onto her weapon. Kyoko gives a sound of annoyance before Kairi slowly raise her weapon. Kyoko close her eyes, though she didn't want to; she has to admit of her defeat and patiently wait for the final blow.

"Heal!" Kairi calls out. At that moment Kyoko feels a strange sensation through her body. She barely stands up before turning around, only to see Kairi walking towards the edge.

"Why don't you finish it?" Kyoko says with a glare.

Kairi stops before turning her head around. To Kyoko's surprise, Kairi wears only a small smile, "Because I never wanted to fight you in the first place. I hope the next time we meet, we can become friends." Kyoko's jaw drops; she couldn't believe what Kairi just said. Before Kyoko can say anything, Kairi jumps down into an alley.

* * *

Kairi now strolls along a street, her hands behind her back. She puts a hand in her pocket. The next second later, she pulls out a white cell phone she had purchased earlier that day. Knowing that this is what the people of this world use to contact each other, Kairi thought it wouldn't be a bad idea is she had one herself so she can remain in contact with the other girls. She looks at the time indicated on the phone. _Only two more hours before school's out,_ Kairi thought.

"Hey, did you see that weird mascot?" an older man asked another man as Kairi goes by them.

"Oh, you mean that big, fat cat?" the other man clarifies. As soon as he said that, Kairi stopped. For some reason, what the man said caught her attention.

"Yeah? Who do you think that guy was advertising for?"

"Beats me."

"Pardon me." Kairi says as she approaches the two men, who look down at her, "You wouldn't happen to know where he went?"

"Actually," the first man responds, "I saw him just past the corner down there to the left," he said looking in the direction that Kairi was heading.

"I see. Thank you," she says before slightly bowing down. After that, she heads down the road. _A big, fat cat... now why does that sound familiar?_ she wonders.

After making the turn, Kairi walks forward. Though the mascot is nowhere in sight, there are a still a bunch of people around. Kairi asks around, some say they didn't see him, some say they only caught a glimpse of the mascot, and there are others that were able to tell Kairi which way the he went. After collecting enough information, she goes into an alley where the mascot supposedly went to. After coming across a small intersection in the alley, Kairi senses something. She turns to the right, the direction where the source is coming from, each step the feeling becomes stronger. _Looks like there's another Witch around here._ When the feeling is strong enough, she turns to her left towards a wall. She immediately summons the Keyblade, pointing it at the wall. Almost immediately, the Keyblade fires a beam, opening a door into the Witch's barrier.

* * *

For ten minutes, Kairi has been navigating her way through the barrier. The barrier is the most normal she has been in. The barrier is filled with hallways of a rundown mansion, several rooms contain small trees and plant life. However there is hardly any light, making the place giving off a haunted house vibe. So far she has not encountered any Familiars. She comes across a spacious room. She stops in the middle of the room, sensing a new presence; or rather a more familiar presence. She looks around, on guard, waiting for something that is lurking around to make its move. Kairi looks forward, tightening her eyes to focus on the space in front of her; the floor to be more precise. Kairi's eyes widen, taking a step back. In the space in front of her, dark shadows on the ground begin to take shape. "Heartless," she confirms.

*DANCE TO THE DEATH*

Two Shadow Heartless stand before her. Two more appear behind her, and the room is sealed off by crystal barriers, which turn invisible. Kairi summons her Keyblade, ready to fend off against the dark creatures. Kairi makes short work of the Heartless, only for a new squad of ten Shadows to appear. Kairi uses Thundara to stop their advance before charging in. She makes a vertical slash, following up with a horizontal slash, makes another horizontal slash in the opposite direction, and ends the combo with a spinning, jumping strike. With each strike she destroys a Heartless, with the combo ender taking out an additional two. Now only four Heartless remain, two jump at her while another melds into the ground to sneak around her. Kairi cartwheels out of the way, before destroying the attacking Heartless with Blizzara. As the melded Heartless reappears, Kairi finishes it off with one strike before turning around and takes out the remaining Heartless with Fira. After a few seconds, the barriers disappear.

Kairi dismisses the Keyblade before bringing a hand to her chin. _A big, fat cat, huh…_ she thought. Since she just fought Heartless, she has a good idea who the 'mascot' is. She continues her way through the barrier. Every now and then, several Shadow Heartless would appear but are no match for Kairi. Kairi eventually reaches a door that looks entirely brand new. Kairi walks up to it, but the door gets sealed behind a barrier and she is surrounded by Hot Rod Heartless on the front and Aeroplanes behind her.

#VENARI STRIGAS#

The Hot Rods 'walk' towards Kairi on their back wheels while the Aeroplanes circle around. Kairi decides to bring down the aerial Heartless first. Kairi jumps up and damages one of the Aeroplanes. She immediately turns to the other, firing two Fira spells at it. Kairi lands on the ground and raises a barrier just before the Hot Rods throw punches. Both recoiled from the failed attack, and Kairi blasts them back even further with a counter blast from her shield. Kairi uses Aeroga and all the Heartless are caught in the whirlwind before the wind bursts, scattering them.

Kairi bursts with power as she enveloped by a white aura. Kairi charges at the Aeroplanes. With each strike she lands, a burst of light damages them even more. Kairi throws her Keyblade, encased with a chilling power; freezing the Heartless on impact. Kairi finishes them both off with Firaga, one for each Aeroplane, after the Keyblade returns to her hand. Kairi now focuses the power surrounding her into her Keyblade, creating a large blade of light. Kairi attacks the Heartless in a dancelike manner, the light of her blade causing significant damage.

Both Hot Rods shake for a bit before honking and the two charge ahead at racing speeds. Kairi protects herself with a barrier. When the Heartless charge again, Kairi bursts the shield, knocking the Heartless off-balance, landing upside down on the ground. Kairi raises the blade into the air before twirling it around, creating a vortex of light. One of the Heartless fell to the initial stage of Kairi's attack. Kairi focuses on the remaining Heartless before slamming the blade onto it. In a burst of light, the blade disappears as does the Heartless. On cue, the barrier disappears, and Kairi goes through the door.

* * *

"Oooh! Why do these things happen to me?!" a gruff voice echoes in a nursery-like setting with green walls, and gigantic letter blocks. A large, round, anthropomorphic cat, catches his breath, hands on his knees. "Just what does that thing think its messing with?"

"Pete!" Kairi yells out, walking behind what Sora considers more annoying than menacing.

Pete makes a sound of confusion before turning around. "Hey, do I know you from somewhere?" he says after looking at Kairi

"Why are you here?"

"That's my secret."

Kairi summons her Keyblade, "Now you'll tell me?" Kairi asks sternly, hoping the appearance of her Keyblade alone will get the information.

"What the…" Pete said with a dropped a jaw. It only took him a few seconds recognize who she is. "Now I remember! You're that Keybrat's girlfriend!" he exclaims pointing at her.

Kairi is taken back but only for a moment, "We're just friends! Got it?!" Kairi cries out with a swing of her free arm.

"Yeah,yeah, whatever."

"So are you going to tell me or not?" Kairi said, taking her battle stance.

"That's none of your business!" he said with a swing of his arm. Seconds later a Hot Rod Heartless comes behind Pete, ramming into him. Pete goes for a loop and lands on his back. Pete shakes his head with a hand on it. When he looks up, the Heartless is charging at him again. Pete makes a cowardly shout, before rolling away from the Heartless' line of charge. After getting up, Pete, looking at the direction the Heartless went, shakes a fist in front of his face, growling with frustration. "Fine!" he says as he turns around to face Kairi. "I was trying to get this watchmacallit to work for me, so me and Malefient can conquer the worlds. But all it did is send its minions at me. So I called my Heartless, to take care of them; but they turned against me and now are working for that thing!"

"So, the Witch is controlling the Heartless?"

"That's about it in a nutshell." Pete notices something before looking to his left, Kairi looks at the same direction. Two Aeroplanes, along with a Hot Rod Heartless, approach them. Pete backs away for a few seconds before noticing their attention is more on Kairi than him. Pete looks between her and the Heartless for a few seconds, "Like to stay and all, but I'm out of here, sister!" he says before running away.

*ROWDY RUMBLE*

"What?" Kairi says looking at Pete, who runs into a dark portal which opened in front of him. The portal disappears before Kairi looks back at the Heartless. "Right…" she says before swinging her Keyblade, shifting to her battle stance.

After staring down with the Heartless for a few seconds, Kairi points the Keyblade at them, firing an electrical orb. After a second, the orb makes contact with the Hot Rod and all the Heartless gets shocked. Kairi rushes towards them. The Aeroplanes start firing at her. Kairi jumps up and jumps again in the air to avoid them. After performing Air Slide, she lands behind the Heartless and charges at them with a fiery aura surrounding her, burning the Heartless. The Hot Rod is about to go into a frenzy, Kairi stops it though with Zero Gravira, causing the Hot Rod and Aeroplanes to suspend in the air helpless. She jumps up and slashes the Hot Rod several times destroying it. Kairi now glows with a white aura, she aims at the Heartless, firing another Thundaga Shot, destroying them.

Kairi stares into that space. Haggling laughter catches her attention, she turns around. She sees two Familiars, both are the same kind as the Familiar that she and Homura destroyed yesterday. They both fire several missiles. Kairi raises a barrier, protecting herself from the barrage. The Familiars turn around. After Kairi dismisses it, she notices where they are going. The Familiars now hover beside their creator; the Witch.

The Witch has blond hair, with a black hairband, the hair on the both sides look like cotton balls . It wears a red shirtdress with two pockets on the front. It wears mismatched socks: a striped one that goes up to one knee and a blue sock with stars that completely covers the other leg. The Witch is about Kairi's size, and has pale, white skin. What catches Kairi the most is its expression. Its eyes are completely black, releasing an endless stream of tears. It lets out a playful laugh as it kneels down, scribbling something on the ground. After it is done, another Familiar pops out from the spot she was scribbling on after it gets back up.

Kairi focuses on the Witch, ready to take it down. The three Familiars charge in, firing their missiles. Kairi charges ahead, the missiles impacting behind her; creating an explosive trail. Kairi keeps on running before jumping towards one of them. After performing a combo of four strikes, she fires three fireballs, one after another. The other two fire their missiles. Kairi casts Reflega in the air in response. After the barrage, the spell bursts and Kairi collects the released energy into her Keyblade before launching Reflega Shot. After the shot makes contact with one of them, the energy disperses, eliminating all the Familiars.

As soon as Kairi lands, she rushes to the Witch. After striking it several times, she follows up with Thundaga Shot and Triple Firaga. The Witch staggers after Kairi's assault. Kairi rushes in for another rush, but the Witch makes a deafening cry, forcing Kairi to jump back. The Witch continues to cry, and three Aeroplanes appear. The Aeroplanes charge in spinning. Kairi manages to avoid the first two, but gets pushed to the side by the third. Kairi looks towards the Heartless. Before she moves, she hears the Witch giggling. She looks back, and seeing it scribbling on the floor again. Kairi makes a sound of annoyance, but she decides to take out the Heartless first.

She destroys one of the Heartless after attacking it for ten seconds. Before the other two can do anything, Kairi activates Aeroga, forcing the Heartless back. Haggling laughter catches her attention, she turns towards the sound's direction. There are two Familiars heading towards her, but instead of flying on planes, they are on boats that are skimming through the ground. Kairi runs towards the Heartless, while she is chased by the Familiars. The Familiars fire their missiles, Kairi stops next to the Heartless. The Heartless charge in with a spinning attack, but Kairi stops them with Reflega, which also blocks the incoming missiles. This time she allows the spell to takes its course and destroys the Heartless by a multitude of lights.

Kairi focuses the power around her into the Keyblade, creating a massive blade of light. Kairi rushes towards the Familiars and dispatched them easily. She turns around, but the Witch is nowhere in sight. After looking for a few seconds, she notices it through a 'window' in a pile of blocks. Kairi fires a large shard of ice, penetrating through the blocks and hits the Witch. The Witch jumps at and Kairi is all over it. Before she can deliver the finishing blow, the Witch cries again, this time summoning three Hot Rod Heartless.

Kairi makes the Heartless a priority first. She dances with Keyblade in hand, hitting the Heartless from a distance. She follows up by casting Thundaga Shot and Triple Firaga at two of the Heartless. The third gets close and punches Kairi towards another Heartless. Before it can attack Kairi, she raises a barrier, blocking the attack. After bursting the shield, knocking back the Heartless, she charges towards the Witch, who is now accompanied by two Familiars, this time in cars. The Familiars speed their way towards Kairi who cartwheels out of the way. The Hot Rods are now performing the same strategy and Kairi finds herself cartwheeling and rolling out of everyone's way.

Though she gets hit once every few passes of the wild cars, she manages to close the gap between her and the Witch. Kairi throws the Keyblade with a chilly aura. The Keyblade hits its target, freezing the Witch and freezes it even more when the Keyblade comes back to Kairi's hand. Kairi stands a short distance away from the Witch. Looking back, she sees both Heartless and Familiars are on a collision course at her. Kairi raises the Keyblade, creating a large, black sphere with several lights orbiting it. The sphere draws in all the mad cars, trapping them in its pull. Kairi raises the Keyblade before spinning it. After destroying the remaining Heartless and Familiars, she focuses her attention at the still frozen Witch. Kairi leaps into the air before slamming the light sword onto it. The Witch gives off a different type of cry as the ice shatters. The Witch sways side to side before falling on its knees. The Witch lies down on the ground face flat before fading away in a cloud of black smoke.

After the smoke clears, the Witch's barrier stretches and contorts before disappearing. After Kairi finds herself back in the alley, she walks towards the Grief Seed on the ground. After picking it up, she puts it away in her pocket. She takes out her cell phone. Kairi's eyes widen as sees the time, "Oops, better head back!" she says before going into a sprint. Kairi runs back into the main street and follows it. _I just hope those were the only Heartless in this world…_ she thought as runs towards Madoka's school.

* * *

**_Riku's Log 4_**

_I have already traveled to several cities already, eliminating the Witches and Familiars that reside within them. During one of my encounters with the Witches at this time, I came across a Magical Girl. Or rather what was left of her. Her body was severely lacerated next to the Witch she must have been fighting. Mortified of the sight, I fought against the creature to avenge her. I successfully defeated the Witch and retrieved its Grief Seed. However the girl's body is nowhere to be seen. It was as if she never existed._

_It was be the next day that I heard news of a missing girl. After seeing a picture of the missing girl, I knew it was the Magical Girl that was killed by that Witch. At the time, I realized finding her remains is a lost cause. Her body had vanished along with the Witch's maze, never to be seen again. I decided that I would ease her parents' worries through a letter. Though it won't be the news they wanted to hear, I believe it's for the best. The letter I wrote is anonymous and I stated it as follows:_

_"I am sorry to inform you, but your daughter is dead. Her body has been reduced to nothing, so there is no evidence to trace her. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but it is the truth. My only regret is that I could not rescue her in time."_

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, I have been busy with school. Hope all of you enjoyed this chapter. Don't know when I'll post the next chapter, I have a lot of work for school.**


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